Back For Good
by angel-junkie
Summary: A couple of months after her marriage breaks down, Lorelai’s still not back to her old self. All it takes is one visit from a special friend to set the wheels in motion. LL down the line…M just in case. It's complete and now I'm sad...
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: Back For Good

SUMMERY: About a month after her marriage breaks down, Lorelai's still not back to her old self. All it takes is one visit from a special friend to set the wheels in motion, and for her to attempt to get her life back on track. LL down the line…

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, seriously.

A/N: I couldn't help myself, I just had to skip everything that I haven't seen and go strait to the end. So, I if I might have some points wrong, let me know. I'm only going by what I've read. (seriously, Lorelai and Luke have only broken once in Australia.)

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Chapter 1

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She wandered around the quiet house not quiet knowing what to do with herself. She had been there on her own plenty of times before; after all, Rory had been at college for the past couple of years. But this was different. It was a sad and lonely quiet. The kind of quiet that kills people on the inside. And for Lorelai Gilmore, that was the kind of quiet she found herself in.

For months, since they had gotten back from Paris, a little girl had been running around the house. But now that little girl was gone. And her father. And even Lorelai's little girl had gone. But that was different, Rory had grown up. Soon, Rory would be off to find her own adventures.

And Lorelai would be on her own, really on her own, for the first time in her life.

She plonked down on the couch, deciding that maybe she could watch one of their many movies again, when a loud rapping could be heard. Sighing, she pulled herself up off the couch and pulled the door open. "Luke?" she asked, stunned by his presence.

He nodded and smiled. "One and only. I noticed you hadn't been in the diner today, so I thought I come by with some coffee and brownies." He said, holding up a take-away cup and a brown bag.

Lorelai smiled thankfully and stepped out of the way of the door so he could enter.

He followed her to the kitchen awkwardly. This had nearly been his home. He had nearly lived here, with her. And Rory. And it was quiet. Way quieter than any other time he had been there. And Lorelai looked really sad, when he finally looked at her properly.

"Lorelai?" he asked quietly, setting the bag and cup down on the table.

Lorelai turned, and the pain was evident in her eyes, even though she tried to cover it up with a bright smile. "Yeah, Luke?"

Hey hesitated, not really knowing if he wanted to hear all about her break-up with _Christopher_. "Are you… are you okay?" he asked quietly, sitting across from her at the table.

He saw her smile falter, and the pain in her eyes grow, if it were possible. He hated seeing her like this, it wasn't her. Sitting there, it suddenly occurred to him that if he walked into her garage, he would probably find the pod and the real Lorelai. And he smiled inwardly, thinking it was her that had first said it to him.

Lorelai nodded, sighed, nodded a couple more times, then shook her head. She couldn't lie to Luke. Not her Luke. "No." she whispered, playing with the folded top of the brown brownie bag.

Luke opened his mouth and closed it again. He moved the blue cap he was once again wearing, and bit the bullet. "Do you wanna talk about it?" he asked.

Lorelai looked up at him and he could see the tears forming. "Really?" she whispered. "'Cause I totally understand if you, of all people, don't want to listen to me bitch about my ex, who I happened to cheat on you with, kinda. Or not kinda, I'm not sure how this goes."

Luke watched her, a half amused expression on his face as she babbled. It reminded him of all the times she had spoken to him, before everything that happened. It made him feel like, maybe, just maybe, they still had a slim chance. "Its okay, Lorelai. I asked. I wouldn't ask if I didn't want you to talk. And I know how much you can talk."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. She took a deep breath, "it was just all wrong." She said as she exhaled. "Everything. Paris, Christopher, me. Even poor little Gigi was wrong, and she didn't do anything. She just got caught in the crossfire."

"What was wrong?" asked Luke, gently placing his fingertips on her fingertips. Lorelai looked at his hand in surprise, and smiled slightly as a warm feeling washed over her.

"Everything. I mean, I tried. I really tried. But it was too hard. I wanted so much for him to be the one, so much. He's my kid's father. He should be the one, right? But he wasn't, he isn't. Sookie asked me if there was no Luke – like, if we didn't have a history, or if we didn't see each other at your diner everyday – would Chris have been the one? And the more I thought about it, the more I realized he wasn't. With or without our history, I just… I could never imagine marrying someone like him. I mean, obviously I did, but you know? If I hadn't… fallen in love with you, I would have found some other way for Chris and I to fall apart. I don't know how, but it seems to be that I am pretty good at the falling apart part, and not so good at the staying together part. Chris is everything I ran away from. He's the 'perfect' choice, apparently. I mean, mom and dad – God! I forgot all about them – they said that Chris and I were perfect for each other. I should have known then. I should have known when I was sixteen and mom and dad said the three of us – me, Chris and Rory – would make the perfect little family. I mean, urgh! Who wants to be perfect? I know I act like I'm perfect, but, boy oh boy, if you only knew how screwed up I am."

She paused and looked over at him for the first time since she started talking. She knew, just by looking up, that his eyes hadn't left her face the whole time she had been talking. The warm feeling washed over her again. And the feeling of another chance swam through another person.

XXX

"So, I'll see you at the diner in the morning?" asked Luke about an hour or so later.

Lorelai nodded. "Yep. I still have to ride my bike, though. Gypsy hasn't finished changing the motors over yet." She added at his slightly confused face.

Luke nodded. "Of course. And that riding will probably do you some good, anyway. After all the junk you eat."

Lorelai gave him a mock angry look, and for the first time in a long time, she felt like things were back to normal. Well, as normal as they could be, but definitely more normal than the first time she had been to the diner since their second break-up.

They stood at the doorway, not quiet knowing what to do. Do they hug, do they just wave goodbye? What? She could remember the times _before_ they got together that they would wave and she would look on in longing as he walked away. So maybe they should hug? She took a tentative step forward, and Luke did the same. They met half way and the hug was quick, but not too awkward.

She stepped back and flicked a piece of hair off her forehead and smiled. "Night, Luke." She whispered.

Luke nodded. "Night, Lorelai." He replied. He waved quickly, and walked backwards down the stairs, their eyes still connected. He jumped into his truck and started the engine. He waved again, and pulled out into the street.

Lorelai waved and hugged herself tightly. She still loved Luke, she knew that. She had never stopped, not even when she was with Christopher. Not really. She pushed the feelings into a box in her mind and tried to concentrate on Chris, and Gigi, but she couldn't.

Luke was her Jackson, her Logan. Her every male that was meant for a specific female. He was Romeo to her Juliet, though, minus all the suicide and death and stuff.

As she watched him drive away, she realized that she would have one more chance to get it right with him. And she wasn't going to let it go.

_So, what did you think? This is my third go at a LL fic, so I should be getting better. Oh, and can you guess where the name of the story comes from? I'm aiming for at least five reviews a chapter. I'll still post if I don't get them, but it owuld be rather nice to get those five reviews... Oh, and I'll post as often as possible, but with four other people in my house who would like to use the internet, it sometimes gets a bit difficult..._


	2. Chapter 2

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Chapter 2

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The bell on the door tinkled for the 1000th time that morning and Luke looked up with hope. And, finally, she was here. He smiled. "Hey. So, coffee and pancakes?" he asked, remembering her normal Friday morning order.

She nodded. "Yep. Oh, hey! No Kirk! I get my seat."

Luke watched, amused, as she rushed over and took the seat closest to the register. She loved that seat. Kirk thought it had something to do with cross ventilation and proximity to everything. But, for Lorelai, it meant that she and Luke were getting along. It symbolized their time together, because Luke had always kept that seat free for her. It made it easier to chat while he was working.

And it wasn't too far out of his way for a kiss goodbye when she left.

Moments later, Luke came out with a plate of pancakes, some syrup and even a dollop of vanilla ice-cream on top.

She grinned. "wow, Luke. I never thought I'd see the day you willingly gave me ice-cream on my breakfast!"

Luke shook his head at the ecstatic look on her face and poured her a coffee. "so…" he started, wiping the counter down unnecessarily.

She looked up. "yeah?" she looked much happier than she had the night before. While there was still some pain lingering in her eyes, but they were much more like the eyes he had grown to love over the years.

"how… are you?" he asked tentatively.

Lorelai looked away out the window. She flicked her gaze back to Luke. "I'm… well, not good. But I'm better. Thanks." She smiled softly and they held each others gaze.

"Lorelai!" came a whiny voice form the door. "that's my seat. You said I could have it!"

Lorelai looked around. Kirk. She smiled apologetically. "oh, I'm sorry, Kirk. I completely forgot. See, because this was my stool for so long, I kinda got used to just coming in and sitting here and I didn't even think twice. I'll move for you, if you want?"

Kirk, who normally took a moment or two to catch on to what Lorelai was saying, took one look at the murderous expression on Luke's face and shook his head. "oh, you know what? It's fine. Lulu's gonna meet me here anyway, so I better get a table, Luke?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "you can get yourself a table, Kirk. You've been doing it for how many years now?"

"I know, but what if I take someone else's table. What if Rory comes in and I've taken Lorelai and Rory's table?"

Luke and Lorelai shared a look. "Rory's at school. She won't be coming in until tomorrow morning. Take the table." She added.

Kirk gave them one final glance, before sliding into the seat. "Thanks." Luke muttered to Lorelai, walking around the counter and over to Kirk to take his order.

"Uh, just a coffee for now. I want to wait until Lulu gets here."

Luke gave him a dirty look and walked back to the counter and Lorelai. "so, I was thinking. I know you have dinner at your parents place on Friday nights, but if, you know, you and Rory want to stop by on your way home, I can keep the front door unlocked." He said, tilting his head toward the door where Babette and Miss Patty had just walked in.

Luke saw them glance at each other, then back at himself and Lorelai, and he realized he was leaning against the counter, talking quietly to her; the distance between them wasn't big, either.

He cleared his throat and stood up properly. Lorelai looked around and saw the two town gossips and looked back at Luke, a smile on her face that reached her eyes. "sure, that sounds good. But, I better go." She said, gathering her jacket and fishing around in her purse for some money.

Luke put his hand on hers and she looked up, stunned. "Don't worry about it. You rarely pay, don't start now." He said, and quickly moved his hand away, before Babette and Miss Patty started on them.

She grinned. "thanks Luke. That's why I love you." She said, without even thinking. She stopped and looked up at him. "I mean… uh… well, I just meant that… oh crap." She finally muttered. "I gotta go." She said, and rushed out of the shop and onto the street. She climbed onto her bike and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly.

As she rode off, she glanced back to find Luke looking at her through the window, a strange look on his face. "The feeling's mutual." He mumbled and went back to serving his customers.

Babette and Miss Patty looked between the two former lovers and realized that even though she had married another man; her heart still lay with one Lucas Danes.

It was up to them to set things right in Stars Hollow.

_And there is chapter two! I know you guys are reading, and I know that reviews aren't all THAT important, but a girl likes to feel wanted. Please - pretty please - review? _


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey guys just wanna send a big shout out to all the lovely people who have reviewed so far. Keep up the good work. I'll update as often as I can, but my family sucks, so it's a bit difficult. Have fun, and enjoy this next chapter._

_Jess._

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Chapter 3

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Lorelai walked into the Inn's kitchen with a small smile playing on her face. "good morning, Sookie!" she called.

Sookie looked up from the pot she was stirring. "why, aren't you in a good mood this morning?"

Lorelai grinned and nodded. "yep. I just… everything's going back to how it was."

"you mean with Luke?" asked Sookie, a knowing glint in her eye.

Lorelai shrugged. "well, that's part of it. But Gypsy will have my car ready in a couple of days. And I've finally got all the Christopher and Georgia things out of my house. And I love it. Its' so… me, again. I told Christopher he wasn't leaving until he put my old TV back in, and he cracked the shits, so now I have a flat screen TV. Oh, don't tell Jackson, though, because he'll be over in a flash and I won't get to watch my TV."

Sookie nodded and hugged her friend. "I'm so glad that everything is looking better. So, tell me about you and Luke!"

Lorelai gave her a long look, trying to hide the smile that was threatening to take over her face. "well, he came around to my place last night. Totally unexpected, I might add. He had coffee and brownies and he listened to me talk about… everything. In fact, he encouraged it. He wanted me to talk to him about Chris. Why would he want me to talk to him about Chris?" asked Lorelai, her smile falling and a frown taking its place.

Sookie shrugged. "Maybe he's just trying to show you that regardless of what you two have been through, he wants to be your friend."

Lorelai looked at her. "you seem to know a lot about this." She said.

Sookie shrugged. "he may have come by the house and spoken to me about it. He may have said some other stuff. But, you know, I can't seem to remember." She smirked.

Lorelai shook her head. "Fine. Whatever. I have stuff to do. I'll see you later."

Sookie nodded. "Maybe you should go to the diner for lunch!" she called after her.

Lorelai waved and shook her head. Sookie was obviously trying to get them back together. But, the more she thought about it, the more the idea grew on her. she knew she still loved him, and that he was 'the one'. The only thing that worried her, was that maybe, after everything that had happened, she wasn't his 'one' anymore.

XXX

"Rory?"

"Hey, mom. What's the matter?"

Lorelai chuckled. "nothing's the matter. What are your feelings on stopping by Luke's after dinner tonight?"

Rory smirked. "Luke's?"

Lorelai sighed. "Yes, Luke's. you know. Luke, the giver of the best coffee ever, Luke."

"Luke, the love of your life, Luke?"

"Rory." Lorelai warned.

"oh, come on mom, its true. You love him, and you always have. Is it okay if Logan comes, too? Grandma invited him for dinner 'cause he's back in New York until Thursday."

"sure, sweets, I don't see why not. Do you want me to ask Luke?"

"do you need an excuse to call him?"

"Rory." Lorelai warned again.

Rory laughed. "sure, let me know soon, okay? Otherwise we'll just go back to the house. Cant have you missing out on some precious 'Luke time'!"

"Rory!" Lorelai yelled into the phone, but she knew her daughter had a point.

"I gotta go, mom. I'll see you at dinner tonight. Love you!"

"Alright. I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Love you, too."

The two Gilmore Girls hung up their phones, both with small smile on their faces. Rory, because she had just spotted Logan, and Lorelai because she knew she couldn't hide anything from her daughter. She was just too damn smart.

She looked at the clock on the wall behind her. it was quarter to twelve. She had only left the diner about two and a half hours ago, but she had to eat lunch. She was hungry. _"you're always hungry"._ Said the voice in her head that was a surprising mix of Luke and Chris. Luke's amusement came across, but Chris's condescending tone could be heard. He made her feel stupid without even being there.

Narrowing her eyes, she decided that, even though Chris was still in her head, she would ignore him there as well. She was hungry, and she wanted another coffee, and she knew the best place to get it. Luke's.


	4. Chapter 4

_Okay, I know I should thank everyone individually, but I'm a lazy person who has just got home from netball training (quiet the contradiction, huh?) and I REALLY need food. Like desperately! Lol. Anyway, thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. I'm almost finished writing the story, just gotta get the time to type it up and post… happy reading, Jessica._

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Chapter 4

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Lorelai was thoroughly sick of her bike. It wasn't comfortable and she couldn't put her Bangles or Go-Go's CDs in it and sing along at the top of her voice to _Walk Like An Egyptian_ or _Our Lips Are Sealed_. And she couldn't drink her coffee as she made her way to work, she had realized earlier that morning.

She rode back into town and headed for Luke's, when she realized she had to pass by Gypsy's garage. Narrowing her eyes, she slowed down and rode into the garage.

"Its not done yet!" called Gypsy from under the hood.

Lorelai stopped still. "How did you know I was going to ask that?"

"I thought you were someone else. Doesn't change my answer, though. Its. Not. None. Yet." She said, pausing after each of the four words to make sure Lorelai understood. Gypsy gazed at her for a moment, considering her. "You know, I saw Babette and Patty this morning. They said you and Luke were looking very cozy at the diner this morning."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "since when have you cared about town gossip? How long til my car's fixed? I miss Belinda and the girls singing to me in the morning."

Gypsy pulled a face, not understanding the musical reference. "Tomorrow afternoon at the latest. You know, it would be done a hell of a lot quicker if I didn't keep getting distracted."

"what are you talking about? This is the first time this week I've been in. and its Friday! I've made sure not to come in, but I couldn't help myself."

Gypsy narrowed her eyes. "So you didn't send Luke in?"

"What? No! Me and Luke… we're just friends, again. When did Luke come in?"

Gypsy smirked as Lorelai blushed slightly. "everyday since you brought it in. the first day he mumbled something about looking out for you. Like I would ever stuff up a car. Since then, he's just asked how long, and if I could let him know it was done before I told you. What's that about?"

Lorelai hid her smile and shook her head. "no idea. Thanks, Gypsy." She said, waving and climbing back onto her bike. It didn't seem so bad, now that she knew it wouldn't be long until her car was finally ready to be driven again.

She walked into Luke's with a smile plastered on her face and plopped onto her usual stool. "hello, Luke." She said, grinning like a madwoman at him.

He narrowed his eyes and watched her. "what did you do?" he asked.

Lorelai shook her head. "nothing. My car's gonna be done by tomorrow afternoon."

Luke nodded. "yeah? That's good."

Lorelai grinned and nodded. "but you woulda already known that, huh?" she asked.

Luke looked at her. "what?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Gypsy said you went there everyday and asked her when it was going to be finished. Then she said you wanted to be told before me. Are you trying to keep my on that bike?" she asked, pointing out the window with a grimace on her face.

Luke looked at her, shocked. "no. I was, uh, I was gonna surprise you. You know, drop it over to you at the Inn and ride your bike back here or something."

Lorelai smiled. "you're too good to me." She said, her whole face breaking into a beaming smile. It had been a long time since Luke had seen that kind of smile on her face, and he was glad that it was there.

"so, about tonight…" Lorelai started. She wasn't sure how to broach the subject of Logan, seeing as he was part of the reason they broke up the first time.

Luke looked at her, suddenly fearful that she was going to bail on him. "yeah?"

"I spoke to Rory, and she said that Logan was coming down for dinner with my parents and stuff cause they're dating – Rory and Logan, not my parents and Logan… weird. Anyway, she wanted to know if it were okay if Logan joined us, because he has to go back to England on Thursday and she wants to spend as much time with him as possible. It's totally cool if you don't want him here, she said they could do something else, but… yeah." She finished and gazed at him over the rim of her mug.

Luke shrugged. He knew how important tonight would be, if he showed that he was at least trying to accept Logan. He nodded. "sure. I don't really even know him. I mean, he was around a bit… before…" he left out the part about just wanting Lorelai to be there, so they could share the flirty banter that he picked up on the couple of visits they'd had that day.

Lorelai grinned even wider. "oh, thank you Luke." She said standing and giving him a hug. She pulled away, realizing that maybe hugging wasn't the best thing to do, given that they had only recently reconciled. "I, uh, I gotta go. We'll see you later?" she asked.

Luke nodded and watched her go. "bye." He whispered, hating the fact that she was walking away again, but thoroughly enjoying the sight.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey guys, next chapter's here. I love it when my parents go out and I get the house to myself! Lol. Anyway, thanks to everyone who has reviewed, keep up the good work! Ah-kay, I'm gonna leave you now, and let you read the story… enjoy!_

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Chapter 5

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Lorelai really didn't like Friday night dinners. They had always been a downer to any good week. But she had done it for the sake of her daughter. And, over the years, while her relationship with her parents wasn't perfect (at one stage there wasn't even a relationship), they had slowly started to mend all the bad feelings from the years before Rory was born.

She heard a car toot out the front and knew it was Rory coming to pick her up. It had been the same for the past few weeks, as her car was unusable. It was one thing to ride to the Inn, but to ride all the way to Hartford? Lorelai may have been crazy, but she wasn't insane!

She bounded out the front door and down the steps when she finally looked up. She stopped short. It wasn't Rory. Frowning, she walked over. "What are you doing here?" she asked, sighing.

He climbed out of the car cautiously, expecting her to suddenly erupt and yell at him. "I want to talk to you." He said quietly.

She shook her head. "I told you, Chris. I will talk to you at times when our daughter is concerned, and not any other. We may have decided to be friends, but I can't deal with you at the moment." She raised a hand and shook her head.

Christopher took a step closer. "Lor, just listen to me."

"Lorelai." She mumbled.

"Huh?"

"My name. It's Lorelai. I don't know how many times I have told you I don't like 'Lor' but you never seem to listen. Jeez."

Christopher frowned. "Oh, um… sorry. Look, Lor…elai. Just, just hear me out, okay? I still love you, and I know I'm your second choice, but I really think we should give this a go. Rory needs a dad, and Gigi needs a mom. And hers is in Paris and you were so good with her."

Lorelai frowned. "Chris, Rory doesn't need a dad anymore. She's twenty one! She's legally an adult. She can drink, and, and, and do all those things that we did when we were sixteen. She's… she's amazing. And you never wanted to be her dad when she _needed_ one. That was left up to me. I had to be mom and dad. And then we moved here, and Luke helped out. He taught her stuff I couldn't, or wouldn't, or didn't. He never missed a birthday. And I can't be Gigi's mom. It's not right. And I don't love you, okay? You're not 'the one'."

Chris got an angry look on his face. "So, you and _Diner Boy_ are back together all ready? God, I should have known."

Lorelai's eyes flashed in anger. "'_Diner Boy_' just so happens to be one of my best friends. And, yes, he is my ex, and yes, I do still have feelings for him, but I had feelings for you for years after Rory was born. We got married, Chris. Don't you think I would have had to feel something for you to do that, huh? I had to wait too long for you, and I moved on. And, I'm glad I found Luke, because he helped me realize that we aren't meant for each other. Getting drunk and having sex at sixteen doesn't mean you're 'perfect' for each other, it just means that you're stupid and too immature to think about the consequences of your actions."

"We had sex before that night, Lorelai."

"So? We used protection every other time. We did things right. We weren't drunk. We actually _acted_ like adults." She paused as lights turned into her street. She quickly realised it was Rory. "And I have to go. I'll see you at Rory's graduation. If you manage to make it to _this_ one." She said bitterly, walking past him and climbing into the back of Rory's car.

They drove in silence until they were out of the town. "Are you okay, mom?" asked Rory, looking at her mother in the rear-view mirror.

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah. I just hate it when he turns up like that. I never have a chance to prepare myself for it."

Rory smiled. "So… after dinner…?"

Lorelai looked at her, eyes narrowed. "What are you insinuating, offspring?" she asked.

Rory grinned. "Nothing. I just can't wait for some Luke's coffee and some pie. How long has it been since we've had Luke's coffee and pie?"

Lorelai grinned. "Actually, I had coffee and apple pie today. And, boy, wasn't it good? Oh, and do you happen to have my Bangles CD in here still?"

Rory grinned and turned the CD player on. _"It was just another manic Monday,"_ trilled out.

Lorelai smiled. "Oh, thank god! Gypsy said my car would be ready tomorrow afternoon sometime, so I want to christen my new motor with the Bangles. Then the Go-Go's and then U2. God, I love U2." Lorelai lamented, staring out the window.

Rory and Logan shared a look. She had told him about how down her mother had been recently, and she finally seemed to be getting happier. Rory knew it had something to do with a certain friendship that had recently been rekindled. And, if Rory's suspicions were right, it wouldn't end there.


	6. Chapter 6

_Because I'm a nice writer (and am bored outta my skull) I thought I'd add the next chapter to my story. There's about fifteen or twenty to come after this one, so you've still got a long way to go, but I don't want to rush it. I hate reading stories where they jump months at a time between chapters. It annoys me SOOO much. So, here's the next chapter, the dinner chapter, which I know people have been waiting for. Thanks for the reviews, and enjoy!_

_Jess._

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Chapter 6

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Lorelai knocked on her parent's front door and fidgeted. She really didn't like being here. She never had, not since she was old enough to realize how oppressing the place was. They stood waiting for the maid to answer the door for five minutes, when Lorelai knocked again.

Eventually, the door swung open to reveal her mother standing there with an angry look on her face. "oh, good, you're here. I'm sorry about the wait, but our new maid's incompetence simply astounds me. Honestly." She stood to the side and waited for them to enter, before taking their coats and hanging them up.

Lorelai, Rory and Logan made their way into the lounge, where they found Richard sipping a drink and reading the newspaper. "Ah, hello." He smiled and stood when they walked in. he kissed Rory and Lorelai hello and shook hands with Logan. "what would you like to drink?" They gave him their orders and slipped into the seats comfortably.

"so, what has been happening in the lives of the Lorelai's?" he asked, beaming.

Lorelai and Rory looked at each other. Richard _never_ called Rory 'Lorelai'. "Well, um, I've just been getting ready for graduation, as you know, Grandpa." Said Rory, glancing at her mother.

He nodded. "Lorelai?" he asked, turning to his daughter.

She shrugged. "I swear, for like a month, I was on the highway to hell. There was the whole Christopher thing, and then my car broke down, and things were weird between me and Luke. and then it was like angles brought me here, everything started looking up. Luke helped me shop for a new car, which is actually my old car with a new motor. And things aren't weird anymore, so that's two things that are looking better. And I saw Chris here, and we agreed on how we were going to communicate with each other. And, I'm happy." She finished.

Richard nodded. "that's great. How is Luke these days? I know I never gave him much of a chance, but he did seem like a nice young fellow."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes. No male in the history of her life had ever been good enough for her. Richard had never even called Christopher a _nice young fellow_ until… well, Richard had never called Christopher and nice young fellow.

"What about you, Logan? How's everything with the company?"

Logan shifted. "Not too bad. I'm closing up in London so I can come back to New York. As nice as it is over there, I miss Rory too much. And I'd ask her to come with me, but I know how much it would kill her, being so far from her mother and grandparents and everything she loves."

Rory smiled shyly and Lorelai grinned. He initial reservations about her daughter's relationship seemingly long forgotten. He actually seemed to be doing right by her.

"Dinner's ready!" came the call from the dining room and the foursome wandered in.

They took their seats and started to eat in silence. "Wow, mom, this is really good!" said Lorelai, shovelling food into her mouth.

Emily rolled her eyes. "If it is at all possible, do you think you could swallow before you talk?"

Lorelai nodded and swallowed. "Sorry, mom. I said it was really good."

Emily looked pleased and nodded. "We got a new cook. He's the best cook we've even had."

Lorelai and Rory looked at each other. "Second only to Ms. St James." Mumbled Lorelai.

Rory grinned and nodded. "Though, we're biased because we're friends with her."

Lorelai nodded. "Oh, that reminds me. Did you know that she's due in, like, a month?"

Rory's eyes widened. "What? No way! That's great. Do they know what she's having?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Not sure. She hasn't said anything to me. I do know she wants either a boy or a girl. I told her there was a fairly good chance she'd get either one."

Rory laughed and nodded.

Things were seemingly going very well. Lorelai and her mother hadn't had one single disagreement about anything, until…

"So, Lorelai, I spoke to Christopher today."

Lorelai froze and across the table she could see Rory do the same thing. "Oh? And what did you to have to say to each other?"

"He wanted to know if I had any ideas of how he could get you to talk to him. Apparently you haven't been answering his calls."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Mom." She said warningly.

But Emily didn't listen, he just kept on going. "So I told him that your car had broken down, and Rory would be picking you up for dinner tonight."

"And you told him what time to be there by, to make sure he caught me?"

Emily nodded. "Yes. Did you see him?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yes." She said tersely, placing her knife and fork back down on the plate.

"Did you talk to him?"

Lorelai nodded again. "yes." She gritted her teeth and willed herself not to start yelling or getting angry. She didn't want to go to Luke's feeling like shit.

"And what did you say? He wants you back, you know?"

Lorelai nodded and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly, trying to keep her temper in check. "I told him the same thing I told him when we broke up. I don't love him. I'm not doing this over again, mom. You'll either have to learn to accept that, or we're really done." Lorelai looked at her mother and, for maybe the first time, saw pain in her eyes.

"I only want what's best for you."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "God, mom. I'm 37 years old. I would have thought that I would be able to judge what's best for me by now. I mean, Rory turned out alright and I was only 17 when I first decided what was right for her."

"That's different, you're her mother. You should be able to make decisions for a one year old."

"And twenty years later you're still trying to tell me what to do! God, I feel like I'm in the _Brady Bunch_, but with less family members."

Emily rolled her eyes. "You're so dramatic, Lorelai."

"And you're so controlling!" Lorelai said, slamming her fist down on the table. "You know what, I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry, Rory, but can we go?"

Rory nodded. "Here." She said, handing her mother the keys. "I'll meet you out the front; I just have to talk to grandpa about a... something."

Lorelai nodded and headed out, Logan hovering at the door to the kitchen, seemingly trying to decide whether he should wait for his girlfriend, or follow her mother.

Rory met his gaze, "I won't be a moment, I swear."

Logan nodded and headed out into the foyer to grab his coat.

"Grandma, I actually wanted to talk to you."

Emily looked at her only granddaughter, stunned. Not for the first time, she realised just how much she was like Lorelai. "Yes?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Look, I know this might not be my place to say this, but you have got to let her live. I know she's made some pretty bad choices in her life, but everything turns out fine. If it weren't for some of her choices, I wouldn't be standing her in front of you, a Yale graduate. I know you and grandpa had a hand in that, paying for school and stuff, but it was her choice to come to you when I first got accepted into Chilton. I'll see you both next Friday." She said, and headed out of the room.

"She did make a very good point." She heard her grandfather say as she gathered her coat off the maid and slipped out the door. Hopefully things would be a little better for her mother from now on…


	7. Chapter 7

_Hey. I know some of you are hanging out for the L/L action, and I _promise_ its coming. (Cross my heart, hope to die, sick 1000 needles in my eye). Just hang in there. These chapters are setting you/me/us up for the final chapters… you'll understand when I get there. Have fun, be good, and don't forget your manners!_

_Jess._

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Chapter 7

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Luke stood behind the counter of the diner, cleaning up. He wasn't exactly sure what time to expect Lorelai. If dinner was going good, then it would be later. If it were going horribly… well, she probably wasn't that far away.

As if on cue, he heard two female voices and a male voice out the front. They seemed to be in happy moods. He smile slightly and reached under the counter and brought up three coffee mugs, fairly certain that Logan would want a coffee with Rory and Lorelai.

"We're closed." He said as the bell jingled, signaling that someone had just walked in.

"I present Arj Barker." Commented Lorelai dryly. "Coffee?" she asked, sitting on 'her' stool.

Luke nodded and put two mugs on the counter. "Would you like one too, Logan?" he asked.

Logan nodded. "Yes, thanks." He said, reaching into his back pocket and pulling his wallet out.

Luke shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It's on me. Till's shut, anyway." He said, waving a hand.

Lorelai smiled. "Oh, Luke. You never make us pay for your beautiful coffee. Why is that?" she asked, suddenly realizing that she and Rory had rarely paid for anything in the diner, not only the coffee.

Luke looked at her. "I don't know. You just never have." Lorelai moved to get money out of her purse. "And you aren't about to start now, Lorelai. Seriously, its okay."

Lorelai put her money away and looked at him. It suddenly occurred to her that he never called her 'Lor'. She wanted to ask him, but knew it was a discussion for when they were alone.

Rory sat sipping her coffee, watching her mother and Luke. She had seen them flirt for most of her life, and never really noticed it. When they dated, she just turned a blind eye. But it was different now; they seemed to be flirting, without actually trying to flirt. It was quite funny.

"You know," she said, doing a huge, fake, yawn. "I'm really tired. I think I might go now. Coming, Logan?" she asked, tilting her head to the door.

He nodded. "Uh, yeah, sure. Thanks for the coffee, Luke." he nodded once at Luke waited for Rory to kiss her mother goodnight.

"I'll see you later." She said pointedly, letting her know that there was no way in hell that Lorelai was going to be leaving with them.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "Goodnight, babe. Night, Logan." She said, waving goodbye to the two. She watched as Logan held the door open for her and took her hand as they walked toward her car. She sighed and looked back at Luke.

"I can still remember the first time she came in here with you." He said eyes still focused on the door.

Lorelai smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah. I knew straight away that she was your kid. You have the same eyes. And then she asked for coffee like you did. I was shocked that a kid that young would drink the stuff."

Lorelai smiled softly. "Yeah, well. It was only us for so long." She said quietly.

Luke nodded and looked back at her. "So, how are you dealing with the graduation stuff?" he asked.

Lorelai shrugged. "I'm trying to decide whether I should believe Chris when he says he's gonna be there. I mean, I trusted him when she graduated high school, and he didn't turn up." She said bitterly. "Sorry. I know you don't like me taking about him."

Luke shrugged. "He's your kid's father. You gotta have some kind of relationship with him. Even if its just 'hello' at graduation and special events. Believe me, he should feel lucky that you're still talking to him at all. I mean, I missed 12 years of April's life. And then Anna tried to take her away."

Lorelai shook her head. "I couldn't do that to him. He's her father, like you said. But sometimes… sometimes I just wish he would go away and not come back, you know?"

Luke nodded, even though he didn't really know, but he'd seen many times how cut up Christopher had left Lorelai. He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "If it's any consolation, if she were my kid, I wouldn't ever leave."

Lorelai smiled. "Sometimes I wish she was your kid." She whispered.

Luke looked at her, stunned. "Are you joking?"

Lorelai shook her head. "No. you're more like a father to her than Chris. He didn't want anything to do with us until she was old enough to walk and talk and go to the bathroom by herself. Did I ever tell you that for the first three years of her life I couldn't get in contact with him, he always rang me?"

Luke shook his head and for the first time really appreciated what a good job Lorelai had done with Rory. Sure, she was coffee and junk food obsessed like her mother, but she was a good kid. She worked hard and she was going to make a name for herself one day. He knew it and he hoped Lorelai knew it. "You did a great job, Lorelai. Don't even let anyone tell you any different."

Lorelai nodded. "Hey, how come you never call me 'Lor'?" she asked.

Luke shrugged. "For years it didn't occur to me. And the first time I heard Chris call you that, I saw the look on your face and I knew you didn't like it."

Lorelai gazed at him. He had always been so kind and considerate towards her and Rory, and she had let him go. At least, she had ruined what they had. Smiling sadly, she sighed and stood up. "Well, it's getting late and I know what time you have to get up on a Saturday morning, so I think I'll go. I'll see you at ten for breakfast?" she asked.

Luke nodded, looking slightly disappointed. "Sure." he said, following her to the door and holding it open for her. "See you in the morning." He said, watching her walk down the stairs.

Lorelai turned and nodded. "Yeah, see you then."


	8. Chapter 8

_Grr! Can I just say that I am __**NOT**__ a happy camper! See, I play netball for the local team, which is not uncommon here in Australia. And I was thoroughly enjoying it… that is until last night. See, I play in the lowest seniors grade (D) which doesn't bother me, I didn't want to play any higher, but now, four weeks into the season, the higher grades are fiddling with teams that should be set by now and now all the teams have been mixed up! Just as we'd finally got our act together and were really clicking, our Goal Attack (shoots goals for those of you who may not know) gets poached by C grade! So now we have three new players and we have to start all over again, with the gelling and working together. There is one good thing that may have come out of this, though. Our coach (who plays B grade) said she'd drop out of B and join us! Yay! Now we have two shooters! _

_Anyway, enough of my ranting. I'm skipping forward a bit. Not too much, but just enough…_

_Enjoy._

_Jessica_

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Chapter 8

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Over the months Lorelai and Luke's friendship grew back to what it was before they started dating. They were both happier than they had been for a while, but neither was completely happy with the relationship. They both wanted more.

"Good morning Luke!" trilled Lorelai, bouncing into the diner one morning.

Luke, who had been in a shitty mood, looked up and his face brightened.

He reached under the counter and pulled up a mug and filled it. It was sitting on the counter in front of Lorelai's stool before she had even made it there.

She smiled. "And I didn't even have to ask!" she said, plopping into the seat.

Luke shrugged. "You're in a good mood." He said.

Lorelai nodded eyes wide. "Yeah, I am. Next weekend is the anniversary of the Inn's opening so we're closing it off and having a huge party for all of those who were there for the opening. It's gonna be great. Just like the opening. Well, hopefully like the opening because that went so well."

Luke nodded. He knew the opening had gone well, but his mind was remembering other things about that night.

_"Will you just stand still?" he asked, before grabbing her waist and pulling her close, kissing her._

Lorelai noticed his dazed expression and waved a hand across his face. "Luke? Luke!" she said, clicking her fingers.

"Huh? What?" he asked.

Lorelai smirked. "Dirty." She said, taking a mouthful of her coffee.

"What's dirty?" he asked, bewildered.

Lorelai's smirk grew. "Whatever you were thinking about that gave you the dazed and confused look."

Luke's cheeks reddened slightly.

"Oh, do tell!" she said, now grinning.

Luke shook his head and refilled her coffee.

"Ah, I didn't have to ask for a refill either. You must have really been enjoying that daydream. Oh, please tell me Luke. I promise I won't ask for coffee for… three hours?" she looked up at him with the pout that normally won him over.

This time was no different. "I was just thinking about that night. The trial run for the Inn."

Lorelai nodded and looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. Then it hit her as to what he was talking about. "Oh, I'm sorry, Luke. I didn't even think. Sorry." She mumbled.

Luke shook his head. "Hey, its okay. I mean, it was three years ago, right? We shouldn't be dwelling on it now."

Lorelai swallowed. "Yeah." She said quietly. After a few beats, she brightened again. "Well, I gotta go. We have to prepare for all the fun and games of the weekend. I can't wait." She said, grinning and sliding off the stool. "I'll be back later. Try not to miss me too much." She said and hurried out of the diner.

Luke followed her with his eyes. _"Try not to miss me too much."_ He mumbled to himself. "If only you knew." he said with a slight shake of his head.

Babette and Patty watched from outside the diner. They saw the look of longing on Luke's face as Lorelai rushed out of the diner and towards her parked bike.

"you take him and I'll take her." instructed Miss Patty, pointing to each person respectively.

Babette nodded and strode across the road and into the diner.

"Lorelai! Honey, I need a word with you." Called Miss Patty, waving to her.

Lorelai turned. "Oh, Miss Patty I would love nothing more than to have a chat with you, but I have Inn stuff that needs doing. Its our three year anniversary next weekend and we're planning a big gathering."

Miss Patty nodded. "Oh, darling I understand that, but this is really important."

Lorelai sighed. "Okay. What's the matter?"

"Have you been to Luke's lately?"

Lorelai nodded, confused. "Yeah, I just came from there. Why?"

"Has he seemed grumpy to you?"

Lorelai shrugged. "No more than usual, I guess. Why?" she asked again.

Miss Patty smiled. "Well, I think he's found someone. And we all know that you're the best at getting him to confess to anything, so Babette and I were wondering if…"

"If I'd ask him? I'm sorry, Patty, but I can't. It's not my place. Things have only just started looking up between us and I don't want to ruin it. Again. I'm sorry."

Patty hid her smile behind a disappointed look. "Oh, that's perfectly alright. I told Babette it would be a bit of a stretch getting you to agree."

Lorelai nodded. "That's okay. Look, I gotta go. You'll be at the party though, wont you?" she asked.

Miss Patty nodded, "Oh, of course! I wouldn't miss it for the world!" she said, and waved goodbye as Lorelai rode off in the direction of the Inn.

_Oh, can I just add that I am very unimpressed that Gilmore Girls isn't going on for an eighth season? And the worst thing? Still haven't seen the end of season 5 here in Aust... And, please, review?_


	9. Chapter 9

_I own season 3! I own season 3! I am so hap-ee! Lol, don't mind me, three cups of coffee and 2 disks down… lol._

_Anyway, thanks for the reviews, its coming, I PROMISE! I'm not gonna tell you when, just gonna let it sneak up on you, then BAM! Got ya! Lol, okay… enjoy!_

_Jess._

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Chapter 9

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"Ah, phone ringing!" muttered Lorelai, trying to ride her bike in a straight line and get her phone out of her purse at the same time. "This is not working." She muttered as she quickly put her foot on the ground to stop herself from falling.

"Hello?" she answered trying to sound pleasant.

"Lorelai, its Gypsy. You're car's ready when you're ready to pick it up. Don't tell Luke I rang you first, okay?"

"Oh, Gypsy, you're the greatest! Travolta has nothing on you!"

"Uh… right. Can I expect you soon?"

"Oh, yes! Twenty minutes? Don't call Luke, I'll tell him myself."

"Okay. See you soon."

Lorelai grinned and hung up her phone. "I'm getting my car back! I'm getting my car back – oof!" she looked around sheepishly, making sure no-one saw her nearly fall of her bicycle. Grinning like an idiot, she quickly rode back to Gypsy's garage.

XXX

Fifteen minutes later she rode in, the same huge smile still plastered on her face. Walking over, she softly ran a hand up the side of her car. "Oh, my baby's back!" she said quietly.

"I thought Rory was your baby?" came a gruff voice from behind her.

Lorelai turned, stunned. "Luke! why are you here? Don't you have a diner to run?" she narrowed her eyes. "Did Gypsy call you?"

Luke grinned and shook his head. "I was taking the trash out and I saw you ride in here with that smile. I could only assume the car was ready."

"_The car_? Luke, this is more than just a car. This is _my_ car. I've had this car longer than I've had my house. Life without this car was like… not having this car comes in third behind two things."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Two things, really? What are they?"

Lorelai kept taking as if she had not heard Luke speak. "It's higher on my 'most important things in life' list than the Inn! The Inn is forth. Of course, Rory's number one. _Numero Uno_. After all, she is my kid. Not even coffee rates as high as this. Coffee is equal with the Inn. I could live without coffee. It wouldn't be easy, kinda like living without you, but it could be done. Oh, that pain. Without my car I have to _ride a bicycle_. A _bicycle_ Luke! Have you ever ridden a bike for days and days on end? Luke?" she asked, seeing the look on his face.

Luke was gazing at her in wonderment. "Did you mean that?"

"What? That my car is more important than the Inn? Well, yeah. With a car I can get a job pretty much anywhere. The Inn can't get me to Hartford, can it?"

Luke shook his head. "No, not about that. About the coffee thing."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "If you're going to suggest that I give up coffee, you've got another think coming. You're coffee is the best coffee I have ever tasted. When Rory and I were in Europe, all I could think about was getting home and having some of your coffee. Sit in your diner, annoy you and drink lots and lots of your coffee." Her eyes had glazed over dreamily.

"Ah, you're here!" said Gypsy walking up behind the pair, jingling Lorelai's keys as she walked.

Lorelai tore her yes away from Luke and looked back at Gypsy, the grin she had rode in with back on her face. "Yes, I'm here. Can I take my car now, puh-_lease_?" she asked.

Gypsy gave her a mad look. "Sure." she handed the keys over and Lorelai squealed happily. She wrenched the door open and climbed in. "Oh, wow." She breathed, running her hand across the steering wheel. She inserted the key into the ignition and turned it. The motor turned over and Lorelai squealed again. "Oh my god! I'm in love, again!" she hit the radio button.

_"She moves, in mysterious ways."_ Blasted out of the speakers. She grinned and jumped out. "Oh, I love you, Gypsy." She said, hugging the other woman.

Gypsy looked awkwardly at Luke, who shrugged. "Uh, I love you, too. I guess."

Lorelai pulled away and looked at Luke. "And I love you, too, Luke. It was your brilliant idea to switch the motors over." She leant up and kissed him on the cheek, before hugging him tightly.

Gypsy smirked. Clearly whatever Miss Patty and Babette had been banging on about the other day was true. Lorelai and Luke certainly seemed to be getting along again.

"I, uh, I love you, too, Lorelai." Murmured Luke, resting his hands on her waist like he had so many times before. He closed his eyes and breathed in the smell if her hair. It was different to what he remembered. Before it had been a vanilla scent, now it was fruity.

Lorelai didn't want to move from the embrace. It felt so warm and comforting, having Luke's strong arms around her again. Nothing was as sweet, and nothing felt as safe.

The clearing of Gypsy's throat brought them both back to their senses and they pulled away, each looking slightly embarrassed. "Seeing as you've paid most of the work off already, I'm not going to press you for money. But, you do owe me $150. I'll drop it to fifty if you promise I never have to talk to your mother again." She said, clearly remembering the night of Emily's impromptu Hens Night.

Lorelai grinned. "Oh, deal." She said, nodding. She fished around in her purse and found fifty bucks. "Here." She said, handing the money over.

Gypsy took the money and nodded. "Ah, pleasure doing business with you, Lorelai." She said, and turned and headed back into the garage.

Lorelai turned and looked back at Luke. "So, I have my car back." She grinned.

Luke nodded. "Yeah." He said softly.

They gazed at each other and Lorelai swore she saw him leaning in. In fact, she could feel _herself_ leaning in.

Luke took a step back and cleared his throat. "I, uh, gotta go. The diner." He said, thumbing over his shoulder.

Lorelai nodded looking slightly disappointed. "Oh, yeah, right. Well, I have business at the Inn. But I'll come by later." She said.

Luke nodded. "See you then." He said.

Lorelai nodded and climbed into her newly fixed car and sighed. She watched Luke walk away in her rear-view mirror, wondering what exactly they were playing at.

_As I was reading this, I'm thinking "AHH! KISS ALREADY!!" Grr, I don't think I've ever made myself frustrated while reading back, but, here it is! World first, Jessica made herself frustrated by reading this chapter. I just wanted to crawl into my computer screen and push their heads together, like we used to do when I was, like, 14 at the stupid local disco… ah, those were the days… ahem, anyway, please review? Reviews seriously make me update quicker!_


	10. Chapter 10

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Chapter 10

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"Luke Danes!" called the voice as its owner walked into the diner.

Luke looked up, shocked. "Babette, what are you doing?" he asked.

Babette marched up and took Lorelai's seat. Luke opened to point put that Lorelai would be there soon, but Babette raised her hand stopping him before he even started.

"I need to talk to you, suga." She stated, leaning in conspiringly.

Luke frowned. Whatever it was, it couldn't possibly be a good thing, could it? "What is it, Babette?" he asked, sighing.

Babette grinned. "It's about your Lady Friend."

"_Lady Friend_? What _Lady Friend_?" he asked, bewildered.

Babette nodded. "Exactly." She replied.

Luke looked around the diner. There was hardly anyone there, which wasn't a great surprise, seeing as it was the middle of a Saturday afternoon on a beautiful summer's day.

"Babette, what are you talking about?"

"You and Lorelai."

"What about me and Lorelai. We're just friends."

Babette nodded again. "Exactly, suga. Miss Patty and I want to help you two get back together. We can see how much you are missing each other."

Luke sighed. He had always known that everybody had wanted to see them together and happy, it was evident in the way the whole town had treated Chris. Or not treated Chris. Was it still considered treating someone when he was completely ignored? Or was that the treatment? Either way, it didn't matter. The townspeople hadn't liked him any more than Luke did. Or Lorelai, evidently, by the way she refused to mention him by name, always calling him Rory's father. "Babette, that's very nice of you but I think there's just far too much baggage for us to get back together. No matter how much we might want it."

Babette narrowed her eyes. "Of course, suga. But don't think that your little scene at the garage earlier went unnoticed. This town has eyes, you know. Especially when it comes to two of its favourite people."

Luke frowned and nodded. "Right. Well, thanks for your concern. But I'm sure if… if anything was to happen again Lorelai and I could handle it ourselves."

Babette nodded skeptically. "I'm sure, suga. If there's anything we could do to help in anyway, let us know." She said, referring to Miss Patty who had just stepped up next to her.

Luke looked between the two town gossips and it suddenly occurred to him that they were fishing for information. He shook his head slightly. "Can I get you two anything, while you're here?" he asked, exasperated.

They glanced at each other. "No thanks, honey. I have a dance class starting in," she looked at the watch on her wrist. "Oh, two minutes ago. I'll see you later Babette. Goodbye, Lukey." She said, waving and grinning.

Luke rolled his eyes and looked at Babette. "Nothing for me, thank you. Morey has dinner cooking at home. I'll see you around."

Luke nodded and watched as the two women spoke briefly on the corner, before turning and going their separate ways. He shook his head at how meddlesome they could be as he started to wipe down the counter.

_"__At least these two are trying to get us back together, and not break us up."_ He thought, remembering Lorelai's mother, Emily.

He sighed and looked at the clock. Lorelai would be there within an hour. He pulled one of her cups from under the counter, down near where his father had once made the hardware store order.

As he looked at it, all he could remember were the good times he and Lorelai had had over the years they had known each other. From the first meeting right up until he was at the garage with her only a few hours before. The good times had definitely out numbered the bad times and he knew – if he were honest, he had always known – that he wanted to make many more good times with her. As he thought it, he could just picture her smiling face saying 'dirty', her eyes full of that flirtatious laughter they shared.

He sighed and placed the mug on the counter, spinning it slowly by the handle. While he was being honest with himself, he knew he would never find another like Lorelai. She was it. He raised his hand and pulled off the blue ball cap she had given him all those years ago. He stared down at it, and sighed again.

There was no denying what was in his heart; he wanted her back – for good.

_Oh, Babette and Miss Patty, I LOOOOOVE those two! They make me smile all the time. anyway, review, my pretties, and I might get another chapter to you in 12 hours or so! How's THAT sound!?_


	11. Chapter 11

_So, I said 12 hours, didn't I? Well, cause I'm a nice person and had WAAAAAAAY too much coffee today (and for once my mother didn't yell at me for some reason only god would know) I decided to update… about 2.5 hours early! Kudos for me! Oh, and another reason for early update, I got to see _**So… Good Talk** _today and it made me feel warm inside because Lorelai and Luke got back together (sorry for the spoiler if you haven't seen!), so I'm in a happy mood…_

_On with the story! Enjoy!_

_Jess._

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Chapter 11

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"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore! I hope you're not doing what I think you're doing under my roof!" yelled Lorelai as she walked into the house. She had just gotten back from Luke's and she was full of his beautiful coffee. Not to mention his scent and the memory of how drop-dead gorgeous he looked. Hold up! They were improper thoughts about her friend. She really had to stop doing that.

"Dirty!" called Rory from the kitchen.

Lorelai rolled her eyes and walked in. "I never should have taught you that." She mumbled, kissing her daughter's head. "Hey, Logan." She said to the young man standing in front of the oven.

"Hello, Lorelai. How's the Inn stuff coming along?"

Lorelai grinned. "Oh, great! But you know what's even better?" she asked excitedly, looking to her daughter.

Rory smirked.

"Don't say it." Lorelai warned, sensing the younger Gilmore girl was going to mention a certain diner owning man.

Rory shook her head. "No idea. Tell me!"

Lorelai shook her head. "Oh, no. Not that easy. Not after what I _know_ you were going to say. Follow me." She demanded, taking Rory's arm.

Rory threw a look at Logan, who just shrugged. Lorelai placed her hands over Rory's eyes and lead her out the front door. "You're finally giving me the pony I never asked for?" asked Rory, amused.

Lorelai shook her head again. "Nuh-uh. So much better than a pony!" she said.

They stood at the top of the stairs and Lorelai removed her hands. She pointed across the lawn to the driveway, where her recently repaired Jeep sat.

"Oh, mom! You got Belinda back?" asked Rory, looking at her.

Lorelai nodded. "But she's not named 'Belinda' anymore. In honor of the new motor, I thought she deserved a new name. So I named her Gypsy, because, without Gypsy, she wouldn't be sitting in the driveway again."

Rory nodded. "So that's what Babette was talking about earlier." Rory said, suddenly understanding the connection between Luke, Lorelai and the garage.

Lorelai gave her a funny look, but Rory ignored her and walked over to their faithful car. "Wow. She looks exactly the same… well, cleaner, but the same."

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah. Someone must have cleaned it when it was at the garage. Apparently someone dropped by everyday to see when it would be ready."

Rory turned to look at her mother, a small smile on her face. "A male someone?"

Lorelai shrugged. "You know, I'm not sure. Gypsy said something about flannel and a backwards black cap. But I don't know anyone who wears flannel and a black cap backwards. Do you?"

Rory smirked. "A blue one? Sure, but not black."

Lorelai swatted at her and headed back into the house. Rory grinned and followed her mother, taking one last look at the car she had learned to drive in. She knew that since the car had been not working, her mother and Luke had become closer again. Not as close as they once were, but they were getting there.

Rory only hoped that one day, soon, they would realize what everyone else around them knew. They were meant to be together, and, in the end, nothing would keep them apart.

_Not even that evil Christopher Hayden looking person! Who is that guy, anyway? Clearly there is something SERIOUSLY wrong if he shares chromosomes with beautiful Rory!_


	12. Chapter 12

_Here it is, chapter 12! The story is finished, it is written and saved on my lovely computer… all that needs doing is posting! So keep sending in those reviews and I'll keep posting! Oh, and thanks for the ones I have already received! Makes my day, honestly! Lol, anyway, on with the story!_

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Chapter 12

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The week flew by for Lorelai in a blur of preparations. It seemed that every time she confirmed something, another person would call up for a query about the weekend. Though, she wouldn't have it any other way. She felt proud that she was able to share the momentous occasion with all the people she loved. Even her parents had agreed to come by, though she suspected that it had something to do with the fact that this weekend just so happened to coincide with their anniversary. Their first one. The original one.

Still, it didn't really bother Lorelai. She was actually happy that they seemed happy for her. And that her mother hadn't brought up Christopher since the last Friday Night Dinner.

Finally Friday night came around again. But for the first time in a long time, Lorelai wasn't rushing around trying to get to her parent's house in time. She was rushing around the Inn's dining room making sure they would have enough tables and chairs for all the guests.

"Calm down, mom." Rory said, taking her mother by the shoulders. "It is going to be fine. The trial run went well, and this will too. God, anyone would think you hadn't run a dinner before."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "But no other dinner has been as important as this. I'm trying to thank everyone for their support since the Inn opened. How do I do that?"

Rory grinned. "Well, I think this weekend is a good start. Two free nights, free meals. A party. You know this town loves a party. Just chill out."

Lorelai nodded. She couldn't believe how worked up she was getting over simple weekend. Of course, she knew it wasn't just the weekend that was making her all jittery. It was what the weekend meant to her, in the back of her mind. The trial run symbolized the beginning of the best relationship she had ever had.

And, along with all that meaning, hidden way up the back of her mind, where she hardly ventured because it hurt too much, was the disappointment of that failed relationship, and the slight hope that it could be renewed. A slight hope that had been steadily growing bigger and bigger since she had gone car shopping with Luke, and everything had started feeling better.

She looked around the dining room and decided that everything was sorted – in there at least. She nodded once and walked into the kitchen, where Sookie was directing people from a chair in the corner.

"Counter-clockwise, Brett!" she called to the man that was stirring something in a pot.

Lorelai grinned and walked over. "Jackson came by, didn't he?" she asked.

Sookie nodded. "Yes. And he told me that if he caught me off this chair again he wasn't going to let me come to the party tomorrow night."

Lorelai laughed. "Oh, Sookie. Please stay on the chair. You're my partner, I need you here."

Sookie nodded and frowned. "That's what I told Jackson. He just gave me a dirty look and left. But not before he had a chance to point at this damn chair. I said counter-clockwise, damn it Brett! I swear to god, if I have to get off this seat you won't have a job to come back to!"

Lorelai grinned and decided that maybe she should leave. "I'm gonna grab a coffee, and then I have urgent business to attend to with my lovely daughter. And, while we're on the subject of threats, remind me to tell you what Rory said the other day. I swear I raised that girl too well."

Sookie laughed. "Fine, it's a deal. If you see Jackson, can you tell him I need to talk to him about bathroom breaks?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yup! See ya, Sook."

Sookie waved and looked back at her charges. As she exited the kitchen, Lorelai distinctly heard Sookie yell, "Last chance or you're fired, Brett!"

She shook her head with a smile… that fell quickly as she walked into reception.

"Chris? What the hell are you doing her?" she asked, seeing her ex.

Chris turned and smiled. "Hey, Lor. Didn't your mom call you?"

Lorelai looked to Michele. "Oh, that's right. Lorelai, your mother called. She said her and your father wouldn't be able to make it this weekend. Apparently they had already been invited to an old friend's retirement dinner. She said she was very sorry and she would see you next Friday at dinner. She also said she offered her room to Christopher here." He finished, turning his eyes to Chris, a look of pure loathing on his face.

While Michele may seem uncaring, he certainly liked 'that lumberjack' a hell of a lot more than he like the man standing in front of him. At least Luke knew how to look after his boss and her daughter.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "That woman does not know when to stop." She mumbled.

Chris shook his head. "Its okay, Lor, really. Sherry came back from Paris on Wednesday. We sat down and had a nice long chat and have decided to give us a go. She's outside with Gigi now. She wanted me to make sure it was okay before she came in."

Lorelai looked at him and shook her head. "Can you give us a minute, Michele?" she asked, glaring at Chris.

"Certainly." Michele disappeared off in search of someone to annoy.

"I cannot _believe_ you!" she hissed, pulling Christopher into her office.

"What? If it's not okay, we'll go. No sweat."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "That's so typical of you, Chris. What about a week ago when you were trying to win me back? Huh? What about that?"

His eyes lit up. "You want to try again?"

Lorelai shook her head. "That's just my point."

"She's my kid's mother, Lor. Surely you would understand that."

Lorelai growled. "And where was _that_ attitude when Rory was four years old, huh? God, you're so… urgh!" she muttered and walked out of the office, slamming into Luke.

"Hey!" he said, taking her forearms and holding her away from himself so he could get a loot at her face. "What's up?"

Lorelai swatted a hand over her face. "Oh, just Christopher being Christopher."

Luke looked at her. "What? He's here?"

Lorelai nodded. "In my office, yeah. He came down with Gigi and Sherry."

"Why's he here?"

"Oh, Emily told him about the weekend and then bailed. She gave him her room. Could this weekend get _any_ worse?" she moaned.

Luke shrugged. "Maybe." Lorelai looked up and glared. He slid his hands down her arms and gently held her hands. "But it could get better." he said softly, gazing into her eyes.

She felt the same connection she had felt a week ago at the garage. And again the moment was ruined.

"Lorelai! This place is fantastic. Just the grounds alone. You must be so proud!"

_Sherry._

Lorelai looked apologetically at Luke, then shifted her gaze to Sherry. "Uh, Sherry, this is my friend, Luke. Luke, this is Chris's… Sherry." She said, stepping away from Luke and waving a hand between them.

The two smiled politely and shook hands. "I'll talk to you later." Murmured Luke, as he walked past and into the dining room.

Lorelai watched him go, a slightly disappointed look on her face.

"Oh my god. Is that Luke from the diner with the _fantastic_ coffee, Luke?"

Lorelai nodded and noticed Gigi standing by the door. "Hey, Gigi. How are you?" she asked, kneeling down.

Gigi smiled and ran over, giving Lorelai a hug. "I'm good, Lorelai. Is Rory here?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yep. I'll just call her. Rory!" she yelled, thinking Rory would be in the kitchen annoying Sookie, or fighting in another room with Michele.

"Yeah?" she asked, coming down the stairs. "Gigi! Hi! Sherry? God, what are you doing here?" she cringed, realizing how rude she had sounded. "Sorry."

Sherry shook her head. "That's okay. I know it must be a shock. But your father and I have decided to give us another shot. We thought it would be best for Gigi. Somehow your dad managed to get us in here this weekend."

Rory noticed the hurt look on Lorelai's face. "Grandma." She muttered, putting two and two together. Lorelai nodded slightly.

"Look, I'm sorry, but I have things to do. I'll just call someone to take your things up."

Chris shook his head. "It's okay. I can. Just give me the room number and the key and we'll be off."

Lorelai grabbed a key off the hook and handed it to him. "301. Rory, do you mind showing them the way?"

Rory looked at her mother for a long moment. "Okay. But I need to talk to you."

Lorelai nodded and watched as they walked away. She sighed and went off in search of some coffee.

_Oh, I hate Christopher, and I WROTE him! Lol… review, please?_


	13. Chapter 13

_I'm so excited about this story that I just have to update! Lol._

_Enjoy and review!_

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Chapter 13

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To Lorelai's absolute delight the Friday night dinner went off without a hitch. Everyone enjoyed the food (who wouldn't, Sookie cooked it!), and she didn't have to put up with Christopher and his annoyingness. Not directly, anyway. As she thanked everyone for being there, he looked at her with that look in his eyes, the look he should be saving for Sherry.

After dinner they mingled in the dining room and enjoyed coffee (Luke's) and finger snacks that Sookie cooked without Jackson's knowledge. She spent most of the evening talking about the success of her business with the townsfolk, while trying to avoid both Christopher and Taylor.

However, she knew she wouldn't be able to avoid them both all night and eventually found herself cornered in the kitchen by Chris.

She heard him before she saw him. The annoying creek of the kitchen's door for once a good thing. "I won't be a moment, I'm just…" she turned and realised who it was and shook her head saying, "I don't want to talk to you." She said and tried to push past him.

He grabbed her arm and held her in front of him. "Just hear me out, please?" he asked softly.

Lorelai looked away. "Fine. You've got 30 seconds. Go." She said, shifting her weight from her left to her right foot.

Chris looked relieved and let go. "I just want you to know that I'm going to really give this a proper go. I'm going to be there for Sherry and Gigi. And I know you might find it hard to believe, but I think we can make it work."

Lorelai waited for him to continue. When he didn't, she glared at him. "Then what are you doing in here?" she asked scathingly. "Sherry's out there, probably wondering where you are. And I have other guests to talk to. If you're going to make it work properly, you need to focus on her. And not what we _were_ – when we were _sixteen_. Honestly, Chris, I want as little to do with you as possible. I don't want to talk to you unless it has something to do with Rory. And seeing as you didn't come to her _college_ graduation, I don't think there is much for us to say." She pushed past him and walked out, leaving him alone in the kitchen.

She was standing with Rory and Sookie when he walked out a couple of minutes later, and felt Rory's gaze shift to her. "Mom?"

Lorelai looked at her daughter. "Okay fine. We need to talk. Sookie, can you give us a minute?" she asked, turning her head to her friend.

Sookie nodded. "Yeah. I think Jackson's looking for someone to bail him out." She said, pointing to where Jackson and Taylor were having a heated discussion by the coffee table.

"Talk, kid." She said, after following Sookie's path with her eyes.

"Mom, why were you and dad…?" Rory pointed toward the kitchen.

Lorelai sighed. "He cornered me and told me that he was going to give him and Sherry a real go." She rolled her eyes.

Rory nodded slowly. "That's a good thing though, right? I mean, if he isn't annoying us, then…" she left her sentence to hang, a small smirk on her face, her eyes looking to Luke.

Lorelai followed her gaze. "Oh, kid. That is a discussion for another day. For one thing, I don't think he wants to go again." She knew she was pulling at straws.

And so did Rory. "Oh, come on. I've seen the way you still look at each other. What's the real reason?"

Lorelai looked around the room. She took Rory's arm and dragged her into the hall. "You're seriously pushing your luck here, kiddo. I'm the one that should be questioning _you_, not the other way round."

Rory smiled. "Ah, it's never been that way and you know it."

Lorelai took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm scared. Okay? I'm scared that I'm gonna screw up again. And if that happened, where would we be left? One more time and one of us would have to leave. And because Luke grew up here, it would be me. And I don't want to leave. I love Stars Hollow. I love my life here. I don't love what Luke and I have become, this, this, this flirting thing we have happening. I don't love the thought of him with someone else. But I'd rather that then not have him in my life at all."

Rory looked at her. "You still love him, don't you?"

Lorelai nodded. "So, so, so much. More than I thought I could ever love another human that I didn't give birth to."

Rory smiled. "Why don't you tell him?"

Lorelai sighed. "Because I don't think he'd take me back again. I don't blame him. I'm likely to screw it up. But I don't want to. You know how you dream about the growing old and the grandkids? I want it to be with Luke. Not the grandkids bit for a few more years, but the growing old. I want that, more than anything."

On the other side of the door stood Luke. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but he was heading out to look for her. Most of the guests were getting ready to head up to their rooms for the night.

As she spoke, he could hear the desperation in her voice. He could hear just how much she was trying to stress to Rory that she loved him. He could hear the fear of failing yet again.

And all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and kiss it all away.

_Yay! Lorelai told Christopher off – again! God, I love it when I write about Chris getting told. Wow, that was incredibly… NOT modest of me… lol._


	14. Chapter 14

_I can feel it coming back again… back for good! Lol, too much coffee!_

_Enjoy, Jess_

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Chapter 14

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The Inn was quiet. Everybody was in their beds sleeping peacefully. That is, except for four people in three rooms all alone one hall.

The inhabitants of room 301 were laying tangled up in each other, talking in hushed tones of their future plans. He with his arm wrapped possessively around her shoulders, she on her side, one are resting on his stomach. Her fingers drew lazy circles on his bare chest.

On 305 the older of the two blue eyed women lay on her back, head turned toward the girl sleeping on the bed next to her. Silently, she climbed off the bed and moved a stray piece of hair off her daughter's angelic face. She sighed and rested back in her own bead, her head turned to the roof, watching the shadows for outside the window dance across the roof…

At the other end of the hall, in room 310, a single man lay on top of the covers. His hands are folded and resting behind his head. He, too, was staring at the roof watching the shadows, wondering if the older of the two women in 305 was thinking about him, like he was thinking about her.

Half an hour later only two people were awake. Each had their own thoughts, but their thoughts were similar. She sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get a lot of sleep. As she watched the shadows, her mind drifted to another time when she had laid in bed watching the shadows…

XXX

_She pulled his arm across her tighter, feeling the warmth of his body pressed into her back. She sighed contentedly and wriggled her head deeper into the pillow. She heard him breathe in deeply and smiled. __Her eyes moving with the dark patches on the roof, as the shadows danced._

_"God, I love this." She whispered._

_He shifted slightly and kissed the back of her head through her hair. "Me too." He murmured._

_They lay in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's company, when she moved so she was now facing him. She placed a soft hand on her cheek and looked into his eyes. "I wanna tell you something. And I totally understand if you can't process it right away, but I'm gonna say it anyway, okay?"_

_He nodded with a slightly worried look on his face._

_She ran her thumb over his lips. "I love you." She whispered, eyes darting from side to side, looking into each of his._

_He moved his hand from where it was rubbing her naked back and ran it through her hair. "I love you, too." He replied in the same whispered tone._

_He watched as her eyes sparkled more than ever before, and a wide grin spread across her face. He leant forward and kissed her sweetly, savouring their first kiss as a couple officially in love. He ran his tongue across her lips, asking for access to her mouth. She willingly granted it and wrapped her arms around his neck as her rolled on top of her… (dirty)_

XXX

He rubbed his hands over his face tiredly. He knew it was well after midnight and that he should get some sleep, but each and every time he closed his eyes and image of her would dance across his lids and he'd be wide awake again.

She rolled her head from side to side and eventually her eyes settled on the alarm clock sitting on the table between the two beds. 1:15. she sighed and pushed the blankets off herself and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Her socked feet found the floor as she retrieved her glasses off the table next to her and slid them on.

She walked quietly to the door and opened it, trying to let as little of the hall light in as possible. She pulled the door shut with a soft click and padded her way down the hall to the stairs. A minute later she pushed open the creaky door and found herself in the kitchen with the man she had previously been thinking about…

_Oh! Cliffhanger! But I'm sure all you smart readers already know __**exactly**__ who I'm talking about..._


	15. Chapter 15

_Okay, I know I wrote that the story was finished, after reading the reviews (thanks guys) I decided to change it a little bit. This is the last original chapter, I hope you like!_

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Chapter 15

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"Luke?" she breathed, standing in the doorway.

He looked up, startled. "Hi. I, uh, wanted a glass of milk. Hope you don't mind?"

She shook her head and waved the comment off as she stepped past the door, letting it swing shut. "Please. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be here." She said, waving an arm around gesturing to the Inn in general.

"Still," he started.

She pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge. "How many time have I not paid for food or coffee at you diner?" she asked, leaning her back against the counter next to him.

Luke shrugged. "That's different. I let you. This," he said, holding up the half full glass, "is basically stealing."

She scoffed. "Like you haven't stolen anything before in your life."

He gave her a look.

"Sorry." She mumbled, looking away and taking a sip of her water.

"I would've thought that stuff would be too healthy for you." He said, tilting his head at the bottle in her hands.

She looked at it, then at him. "In all your time in the house, did you not once notice the bottle of water in the fridge?"

He looked guilty for a moment. "Honestly, I thought they were for my benefit. Same as the fruit bowl."

She laughed lightly. "The fruit bowl is. Rory liked drinking water when she studied, and I got used to buying it and seeing them in the fridge it just made me feel better continuing to do so when she went to college. And, you can get some water with really funky tastes. It's cool."

He nodded and they lapsed into a comfortable silence. It had been such a long time since a silence between them had felt okay that they were slightly shocked by it. It felt great to be okay in each other's presence without the need for words. It felt like the old times when things between them were so much different from now.

After a few minutes silence, Luke finished his milk and cleared his throat. "Well, I have to be up in a few of hours." He said, looking her directly in the eye.

Lorelai put the cap back on her water and pushed herself off the counter. "Yeah, me too." She replied, following him out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

They walked in silence to Lorelai's door. "Well, this is me." She said quietly, pointing over her shoulder.

Luke nodded. "Yep." _'Yep!?' God, Danes. Pull yourself together!_

"So I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" asked Lorelai, more than a hint of hope in her voice.

Luke nodded again. "I'll be around." _Huh!?_

They looked at each other quietly when they stepped forward at the same time. The hug didn't last very long, but it was long enough to kill any lingering doubts wither one might have had. They pulled away, but Luke's hands stayed resting on Lorelai's waist, while hers gently gripped his shoulders.

"G'night." She whispered, making no effort to move.

"Night." He replied keeping his hands on her waist.

Blue eyes met steely-gray and their heads tilted towards each other. Their lips met tentatively, cautious of pushing the other too far. The kiss deepened, and soon Lorelai's back was pressed against the door. But, as with most great kisses, it ended too soon.

Luke broke away, panting. "Good night, Lorelai."

She smiled softly. "Good night, Luke."

She watched as he walked down the hall to his room. She returned the small wave he gave her and waited until his door was closed before grinning and disappearing into her room.

_Okay, so every chapter after this will be altered slightly for your enjoyment. Obviously, you wont know what bits I _have_ changed, but, trust me, its there. Hope you continue to enjoy!_

_Jess._


	16. Chapter 16

_Okay, __so, the moment we've all been waiting for has been and gone! The kiss, that kiss, a kiss. But, rumor has it a bit of bedtime fun was in order… take a read. It's smutty. I'm not sure if its very good, because I'm not convinced of ability to write it, but, cause you guys wanted it, and you guys are the reason I write at all, I figured I should put it in. And its Luke/Lorelai smut! Needless to say… Anyway, on with the smut!_

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Chapter 16

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She lay in her bed, thoughts firmly set on the man down the hall. The man she had shared so much with in ten years. The man that had been there for her no matter what. The man that had looked after her daughter.

She twisted a lock of hair around her finger like she had so many times before and let out a disgruntled huff. "Screw this." She muttered and flung the covers off.

Thirty seconds later she found herself outside his door, frozen. She didn't know if she should actually knock. What if he was asleep? What if he didn't want her back? She hated 'what ifs'. They sucked. And then she remembered the kiss, and the blue baseball cap that he had started wearing again and she made up her mind.

She lifted her arm and knocked lightly on his door, thinking if he didn't answer she cold just slink back to her room and no-one would be the wiser. Well, except for her. But it's not like she hadn't hid things before. Right?

She was about to turn away when the door swung open, and there he stood.

"Lorelai?" he asked, shocked.

She grinned guiltily. "Hi. I, uh, hi." She stuttered with a shrug.

He found her nervousness endearing and opened the door wider and moved out of the way so she could enter his room.

"I'm so sorry about this, but I was laying in bed and all I could think about was you and –"

Her sentence was chopped in half as his lips crashed onto hers. It was a kiss similar to the one they had shared in front of her room, only there was more need, more want. There was more to it this time.

He pushed the door shut with one hand as the other lost itself in her hair. As they kissed they somehow managed to stumble their way to his bed.

"Oh, Luke." she murmured as his cool hands slipped up under her pajama top.

Their kisses broke for a couple of seconds as they each removed the other's tops and fell onto the bed.

Luke pulled away to gaze down at her and she took advantage of the brief interlude. "Luke, we don't have to –"

"I want to." He cut across.

"But –"

"Lorelai, I love you, okay? I tried not loving you, and it didn't work. All I want is you. And you're here. So, please, just…"

She smiled softly and crazed his cheek with her hand. "I love you, too." She whispered in replied and recaptured his lips with her own.

From there things moved rather quickly. It didn't take them any time at all to fall into that old rhythm that they had established before. Soon, they were moving together like they used to, completely naked. It felt good to be with him like this again, and all Lorelai could think about was how stupid she had been to give this up. To run to Christopher, who had never been able to give her half of what Luke did.

And she didn't mean sex.

"Oh, god, Luke." she murmured, loving the feel of his hands on her skin again.

He grinned wickedly, a grin she remembered was usually followed by him teasing her in some way. His eyes shone as he moved his lips from hers, to her cheek, to her earlobe, then traced along her neck to her collarbone.

But he didn't stop there. His mouth then moved to her right breast, and while he kissed, licked and sucked on the skin, his hand fondled the other one. He had found out long ago that she like having her nipples played with, so he played with them in force, moving from one breast to the other and back again.

Once he was done, he slid further south and kissed along her stomach, smiling as she arched her hips.

"This is… sooo… not fair." She panted, withering under him.

Luke looked up at her, his eyes dark with desire, love and happiness. "After all the teasing you put me through…" he mumbled.

Lorelai groaned. "Oh, that was in fun. This isn't the same this is… oh, god. How can I argue with that?" she mumbled as he kissed the inside of her leg.

Luke laughed and she could feel it all the way up her leg and in her heart. While she had missed Luke, the sex wasn't the biggest thing she missed. Sure, amazing sex was something she missed, but hearing him laugh and just being close to him was what she missed the most.

She looked down at him as he kissed the inside of her other leg and decided that foreplay could go to hell. It wasn't everything it was cracked up to be, really. If it meant that she was missing out on that amazing feeling of him inside her, then she didn't want it. Maybe it was selfish, but she didn't care.

She wanted to fuck him, and, damn it, she was a woman who always got what she wanted!

She reached down with shaking hands and held his face. "Luke." she started, eyes glazed. "Kiss me." She finished, tugging lightly.

He grinned and slowly slid back up her body, making sure her touched her as much as possible.

He dropped his head and kissed her sweetly, a few savoring pecks, before he kissed her properly. They had to make up for lost time, but both knew there would never be time lost again. This was it. This was their comeback, and she was going to let the whole Inn know.

And then she was going to apologize profusely for scaring her little girl, even if her little girl wasn't so little anymore.

Luke pushed himself up and looked down at her one last time, as he positioned himself between her legs. Their eyes stayed locked as he pushed into her. he moved slowly at first, remembering how she like to take it slow and build, but that soon went out the window as she tipped her hips so that she could take him deeper, a maneuver he knew to mean that she wanted this so bad.

Their breathing quickened and became ragged as they got closer to their climax. Luke pushed harder and as Lorelai fell off the edge, she threw her head back and had to bit down hard on her lip so as to not scream too loudly.

"Oh, Luke." she moaned, withering again.

His eyes slipped shit as he let out a low growl, which she knew meant he had released himself.

After a few moments, he pulled out and kissed her forehead, collapsing next to her, sweaty and spent.

"Luke that was… wow." She breathed.

Luke nodded, his arm resting across her stomach.

She turned her head to look at him. "I love you, so, so, so much." She whispered, gently placing a hand on his cheek.

Luke moved his head so feel her hand more completely. He smiled that genuine smile that only she seemed to bring out of him. "Oh, Lorelai, you have no idea."

_Well, there's that chapter. It's longer than I intended. And I only wrote it really quickly. I hope you guys liked my smut… lol. I think it turned out okay, but that's me. Anyway, review, please!?_


	17. Chapter 17

_Wow! So you guys like the smut__?! That's makes me feel so good, 'cause I was a little bit iffy on my ability to write it convincingly and make sense. Next time, I know I can do it (dirty)! So, here's chapter 17, I hope you enjoy it like you enjoyed the last chapter… lol._

_Jess_

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Chapter 17

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Lorelai woke the following morning with a smile on her face. She showered and dressed quickly. She stood looking at herself in the mirror, her hair curling in exactly the way she liked it. She took her glasses off to put her contacts in, and decided that the black frames went really well with what she was wearing, and slid them back on. She flicked her hair over her shoulder and went off in search of her daughter, best friend… and coffee.

Not surprisingly, she found all three in the first place she looked – the kitchen. Rory sat on a stool at the end of the counter where Sookie was adding choc chips to the pancake batter. Lorelai walked over and poured herself a coffee and stood beside Rory, listening to them chat about Rory's new job at a newspaper in Hartford. Lorelai was proud that Rory had put the disappointment of missing out on the Reston Fellowship behind her.

It was also good that she wouldn't be moving far away, if she even moved at all.

Sookie grinned and looked at Lorelai. "It feels like just yesterday that you were hemming her Chilton skirt, ready for her first day."

Lorelai rested a hand on Rory's shoulder and laughed. "Please. It feels like just yesterday I was dropping our bags inside the potting shed door." She smiled softly at her namesake. "We've come a long way, kiddo."

Rory nodded. "Yep. But there's more to come." She replied, shooting a meaningful look Sookie's way.

Sookie nodded and Lorelai's eyes narrowed. "What?" she asked.

Rory and Sookie shared knowing smiled and put on their best innocent faces. "What, what?" they asked in unison.

Lorelai gave them both a suspicious look. "I will find out what you two are up to. You," she started, pointing at Sookie. "Cant keep a straight face when lying. And, you," she continued, pointing at Rory. "I know you. You never did quiet master my patented 'lying face'. I can see right through you both."

Rory and Sookie laughed. "I gotta go. I promised dad I'd watch Gigi for a couple of hours. See you at Luke's for lunch?" she added with a small smirk as Rory turned to look at her mother.

Lorelai nodded. "You betcha, kid. It's a date." She accepted Rory's kiss on the cheek and watched as Rory left.

Sookie and Lorelai stood in silence for a few moments as Sookie finished mixing the batter.

"So, you're happy." She stated, wiping her hands on a towel and sitting on the stool the Rory had only just vacated.

Lorelai smirked and shrugged. "No happier than usual. Although, I didn't have to have dinner with dad and Satan's love child last night. Always a good thing."

Sookie bobbed her head from side to side. "It's more than that. It's like… after you and Luke kissed at the trial run. That kind of happy."

Lorelai looked at her, a noticeable extra glint in her eye at the mention of the diner owner.

Sookie gasped. "Oh, you didn't!?"

Lorelai blushed very slightly and looked away.

"You did!?" asked Sookie in a hushed tone.

Lorelai tilted her head.

"You did!" screeched Sookie.

Lorelai grinned. "Okay, you got me there, Sherlock. But please, _please_," she stressed, "don't tell anyone. I haven't had a chance to speak to him yet, okay? I don't know where we stand or anything."

Sookie grinned and drew an 'x' across her heart. "I swear. How was it?" she asked after a short pause.

Lorelai's grin turned into a soft smile and she got a dreamy look across her face. "Fantastic. Like it always was."

Sookie bounced in the seat excitedly. "So, details?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes and looked around the kitchen. After deciding that there was no-one within earshot, she leaned in and whispered conspiringly, "not a word."

Sookie gave her a confused look, but nodded.

"Okay. I couldn't sleep last night. I was just laying there watching my darling daughter sleep, waiting to join her in the land of nod. After a little while I decided to go for a bit of a wander, and my socked feet carried me here. I pushed the door open and, guess what? I wasn't the only one Mr. Sandman was evading."

Sookie gasped dramatically. "No?!"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah. I swear that guy gives me a rough deal. Anyway, I walk in, and here's Luke, leaning against the far counter, glass of milk in his hand." She waved at the space of counter she had shared the previous night.

Sookie nodded glassy eyed. "How romantic. What is it? Like a hundred meters from where you first kissed?"

Lorelai shook her head. "I didn't kiss him in here, Sook. We chatted for a couple of minutes, then decided it was bedtime, so we walked upstairs together. Anyway, we stopped outside my room, cause he had to walk past it to get to his. And I, well, we, hugged goodnight and went to move away, but we didn't move _far_ enough away. And then we, well, we kissed."

Sookie smiled the slightly pouty smile she smiled when she saw or heard something cute. "And then what?" she finally asked.

Lorelai grinned wickedly. "Take a guess, Sook."

Sookie smiled a far away smile and sighed. "Oh, that's great. It is great, right?"

Lorelai's eyes sparkled as she nodded. "Yeah." She breathed.


	18. Chapter 18

_Sorry for such a long delay. My computer shit itself and I lost EVERYTHING!! So, luckily, I had it written down, and I could just retype it all. Sorry again, and I hope you enjoy the rest of my humble little story…_

_Italics are logical Lorelai thoughts…_

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Chapter 18

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Lorelai walked into the diner behind an animatedly talking Rory. She had been listening when they left the Inn, but as they got closer and closer to the diner, her thoughts started to wander.

What would he look like? _Duh, Luke! Sexy as usual without even trying._

What would he be wearing? _Uh, hello, it's Luke! Plaid flannel shirt, jeans, and the blue cap you gave him for Christmas all those years ago._

What will they say to each other? '_Hey.' 'What do you want to order?' the same as usual, but maybe with a subtext, given all that happened last night…_

Will it be awkward? _Oh, yeah. It'll be like the first time we dated. Hopefully this time I won't knock everything off the table…_

"And you're not even listening to me!" exclaimed Rory as they sat at their usual table.

Lorelai's eyes snapped back off Luke and focussed on her daughter's face. "No! I was, uh, listening." Rory raised an eyebrow. "To most of it, anyway." Rory's other eyebrow met its mate. "Oh, okay, fine. You lost me when we pulled out of the Inn's driveway." she smiled apologetically.

Rory rolled her eyes and shook her head before resting her chin on her linked hands. "You made out with him, didn't you?" she asked, eyes gleaming.

Lorelai shifted slightly. She did more than make-out with him. She nodded quickly and smirked. "Uh, yeah. I made out with him." she said, skilfully avoiding making eye contact with her daughter. She knew that if she did, her lie would come undone.

Rory watched as her mother's eyes followed the diner owner around. She knew the look her mother wore on her face, and smirked. "You didn't just make out with him, did you?" she muttered.

Lorelai's eyes snapped off Luke and found Rory's. "What?"

Rory smiled. "You didn't just make out with him. I'm not stupid, mom. You got lucky!" she added in a low sing-song voice.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Will you shush!? There are all manner of townies in here just waiting to spill the dirt. God, it's a wonder Babbette and Miss Patty aren't following us around everywhere."

She had just finished speaking when Luke walked over, two giant coffee mugs in one hand, and the near full coffee put in the other.

"Good afternoon, Luke." smiled Lorelai, watching as he put the mug down in front of her and pour the coffee.

Once he'd finished pouring, he looked back at her and their eyes met. Both felt the jolt of electricity that pulsed through them as their gaze held, but it was shattered when Rory cleared her throat.

"Guys, as lovely as this is, I'm hungry."

Luke tore his eyes away from Lorelai's and pulled out his order pad and pencil. "So, what do you two want?" he asked gruffly.

Lorelai smirked and her eyes flashed. She could have so much fun with this.

"To eat!" Luke added hurriedly, knowing that something dirty was likely to leave Lorelai's mouth.

Lorelai met Rory's eyes and they shared a small smirk. "Two burgers." answered Lorelai, looking up at Luke with innocent eyes.

"And chilli-cheese fries." added Rory.

Luke nodded. "Right. I wont be long." he offered them both a quick smile and walked away.

Lorelai sighed and with flirty eyes watched him leave. "I hate to see him go, but, damn! That man has a nice ass."

Rory rolled her eyes and groaned. "Mom, please."

Lorelai looked across at her daughter. "So, what was with you and Sookie this morning?"

Rory shrugged and took a sip of her coffee. "nothing." she answered with a shrug.

Lorelai gave her a look. "Oh, kid, don't insult me by attempting my own face of innocence, okay?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "It was nothing, I swear. Sookie and I had just been discussing your disappearing act from the room last night. I heard the door click." she added to Lorelai's confused look.

Lorelai nodded slowly. "So where did I go?"

Rory smirked. "I can only guess and I really don't want to."

Lorelai nodded and smirked. "Fine. But you're over 21 now, so I can tell you all the details."

Rory groaned. "Oh, God. That was _more_ than enough, thank you, mo- hey, Luke."

Lorelai turned in her seat. "Oh, just the man I wanted to see. We need to talk." she said, waving a hand between them.

Luke set their plates down on the table and nodded. "Sure. Uh, follow me."

Lorelai grinned and grabbed a few fries off Rory's plate, shot her a look and followed Luke into the store room.

"So…" he started, folding his arms across his chest, then unfolding them and jamming them into the front pocket of his jeans.

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah. Wow, awkward. When I imagined this scene, it wasn't awkward."

"You imagined this?"

"Well, only since us… you know… last night. I just want to know where you stand in this us thing, because I know where I stand. And I can guess where you stand, from last night, but I just… I want to know."

Luke nodded. "You remember when we went on our first date, after I got back from the renaissance faire?"

"The one at Sniffy's with the horoscope?" she asked quietly.

He nodded. "Yeah."

Lorelai smiled softly. "Yeah. How could I forget?"

He smiled. "Do you remember me telling you I was all in?"

Lorelai nodded. She really hoped this was going where she thought it was going. That this flashback amounted to something good.

Luke took a couple of steps forward. "Well, you should know that I still have that horoscope in my wallet and I'm still all in." he breathed, looking into her eyes.

Lorelai smiled softly. She reached a hand up and caressed his cheek gently. "Oh, Luke." she whispered, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him.

When the need for oxygen got to be too much, they pulled away. "You know, I never stopped loving you." he murmured.

Lorelai smiled. "You might not believe this, but I never stopped loving you, either."

_Okay, so, once again I am sooo sorry for the delay. Hopefully the computer is fixed and won't go nuts again. At least, not until I get this story out. Peace out, friends!_


	19. Chapter 19

_And because it took me so long to update, here's another chapter! Enjoy!_

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Chapter 19

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Lorelai walked out of the storeroom just ahead of Luke with a huge smile on her face. Not even the sight of Christopher, Sherry and Gigi sitting at the table with Rory could take it away. She paused at the end of the counter and turned to Luke with a wrinkled nose.

"Sorry to love you and leave you, but I cannot deal with him and them right now. I'm too happy and he'll just try and take it away."

Luke nodded. "Fair enough. But then I have to try and deal with him."

Lorelai smirked. "I'm sure if you ask Rory nicely enough she'll get rid of them for you. Besides, I have to get back to the Inn anyway, I left Michel there alone."

Luke grimaced and nodded. "So, I'll see you later?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yup. And I might even have a coffee and something to eat."

Luke rolled his eyes and shook his head. "See you later."

"Yup, bye." she gave him a small wave and walked back to the table. "Hey, kiddo. I gotta get back to the Inn. I'll see you later. Bye guys." she kissed Rory on the forehead and offered the others a small smile. She gathered her bag and headed for the door. Before she stepped out, she turned back and blew Luke a kiss, then stepped out.

Rory watched the exchange from the table and smiled. "Excuse me." she said, standing and quickly walking to the counter. She waited patiently as Luke served a customer.

"What can I get ya?" he asked, standing across from her.

"Nothing. You know, tonight I could decide to stay at home." she said.

Luke shook his head. "I would expect something like that from your mother, not you."

Rory grinned. "Thank you. And congratulations."

Luke smiled. "Thanks. Can I get your dad and… them anything?"

Rory looked over her shoulder at where Gigi was eating the fries off Rory's plate. She shook her head. "Nah, they seem pretty good with mine. Listen, I'm glad you and mom worked things out."

Luke shrugged. "There's still stuff left to say, but I promise you, Rory, I'm not letting her go. Never, ever, ever again."

Rory nodded. "I know. I guess I better go. How much do we owe you for the coffee and stuff?"

Luke shook his head. "Nothing. You don't pay here."

Rory smiled. "Fine. Then I'll take that blueberry muffin." she said, pointing. Luke took it out and placed it in a paper bag. "Thank you. I'll see you at the Inn later. And congratulations, again."

"Okay, bye. Uh, Rory?"

She turned back. "Yeah?"

"Can you get them outta here, please?" he asked, nodding at the table.

Rory smiled. "Sure. See ya."

"Thanks. Bye."

Rory walked back to the table and collected her father, sister and (soon-to-be) step-mother and left the diner for an exciting summer's day in Stars Hollow.

XXX

The first thing Lorelai did when she got back to the Inn was head to the kitchen to share her news with Sookie. She knew if she didn't Sookie would come after her with whatever her hand found first. And, knowing Sookie, that could be absolutely anything in that kitchen.

"Sookie?" she called stepping into the kitchen.

"In here!" came Sookie's voice from the pantry at the back.

"Hey, honey." said Lorelai, poking her head around the pantry door.

"Hey, how was lunch?"

Lorelai smirked. "Lunch-y."

Sookie gave her a look.

"Okay, we talked briefly, kissed longer and are back together. I think. There's still stuff we - well, I - need to say. But I really love him and I really, _really_ want us to work this time."

Sookie nodded with a smile on her face. She had opened her mouth to congratulate her best friend, when she clamped it shut and a grimace appeared.

"Sookie, what is it?" asked Lorelai worriedly.

This grimace disappeared nearly as quickly as it came. "I think the baby's coming." she said quietly.

"Oh, God! Okay, sit down and I'll call Jackson." Lorelai hit the buttons on her cell quickly. The phone had only been at her ear a second when she heard Jackson's voice.

"Hello?"

"Jackson! It's Lorelai. Sookie's gone into labour. I think. Can you get here quickly?"

"Uh-huh. Yep. I was just on my way there anyway. I'll see you soon."

"Okay, Jackson. See you soon." Lorelai hung up the phone and looked at Sookie. "He's almost here. Can these guys cover until we got someone else in?"

Sookie nodded. "It's the same team as when I had Martha. They should be fine."

Lorelai watched her friend, then a sudden thought crossed her mind. "Shoot, what about tonight, Sookie? The party."

Sookie shook her head. "Go ahead with it."

"But it's your place, too."

Sookie shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I'll be here in spirit. And the second anything happens I'll let you know."

Lorelai pouted and nodded. "Fine. But I'll want hourly updates."

Sookie nodded as Jackson came bustling in. "thank you, Lorelai. I'll call you the minute I know anything." he helped Sookie to her feet and supported her out to their family van.

"Hourly updates!" she shouted after them.

Jackson waved a hand to let her know he'd heard and then he was gone.

Lorelai stood in the kitchen and watched them go. She was almost feeling proud of what she saw, but she knew Sookie and Jackson were perfect for each other. She had felt that way about herself and Christopher at different stages of her life. When they shared their first kiss; when they first slept together not long after her 15th birthday; that faithful night when they got drunk and made Rory; the night before Sookie and Jackson's wedding; the very, very, early days of their wedding, when they were still in Paris, before they came back to Stars Hollow and all those reminders about the times she spent with Luke were everywhere.

When he told her that he'd kept that horoscope in his wallet for eight years, she knew - at least in the back of her mind - that he was the one. If she was perfectly honest with herself, it was long before that, when Rachel first walked into the diner on the weekend of the _Founder's Firelight Festival_.

She picked her phone up off the counter and pressed the buttons she knew so well after over 10 years.

"Hey, Sookie's gone into labour. I wanted to tell someone, and Rory's with her dad and I thought of you."

"Oh, wow. Tell her congratulations for me."

Lorelai smiled. "You can tell her yourself when you come to the hospital with me tomorrow. But, when I speak to Jackson later, I'll let him know. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah, later."

"Okay, bye. I love you."

Luke smiled into the receiver. "I love you, too."


	20. Chapter 20

_Dun, dun, dun! This is the last chapter! after this, it's epilogue, baby! So enjoy it and review and I'll see you on the other side..._

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Chapter 20

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For the rest of the day, Lorelai's cell phone didn't leave her hand. Every hour, on the hour, Jackson called and told her what was going on. Every hour, on the hour, it was the same. Nothing had changed. The baby was yet to come out and Sookie was going bonkers, again. Lorelai did her best to calm her down, and reminded her that Davey had been overdue and everything turned out fine. And Martha had come a week early, so maybe this baby was trying to even the score, by coming on the right day, but taking 'its' time.

Even during the party, Lorelai would duck outside every hour to take her call, then come back inside shaking her head sadly at Luke and Rory.

The clock ticked closer to 12 and Lorelai slipped outside, the only people to notice were Luke and Rory. Rory watched from across the room, and Luke followed her out, wanting to take the opportunity to speak to her while things were quiet.

"Okay, bye Jackson." she sighed and hung up and turned to find Luke behind her. "Oh, jeez. You scared me." she said, running a hand through her hair.

Luke smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry." he murmured, taking her hand.

Lorelai smiled up at him. "Well, I'm glad it was you and not someone else. You have the best ways of making it up to me." she said, stepping closer, her body pressed against his.

"Lorelai, I want this to work." he said quietly.

She nodded. "Me, too. More than anything."

He nodded. "No secrets?"

She nodded. "No secrets. I love you, okay? The only person I love more than you is Rory, and that's only because I gave birth to her. You're my everything, Luke. And I swear I won't take you for granted this time. I'm in, I'm all in."

Luke smiled. "Good, me too. And, while I don't like Christopher, I understand that he will always be in your life, because Anna will now always be in mine. You have Rory, and I have April and I _really_ want this to work. We can all be a family."

Lorelai nodded. "I know. Kiss me?"

Luke smirked. "always." he replied, then leant down and kissed her gently.

They stood outside the Inn, in exactly the same spot as where they shared their first kiss, totally wrapped up in each other. They could hear the party going on inside, but didn't care if someone walked out to find them making-out. That would be way less embarrassing than Lorelai walking into the diner in nothing else but Luke's shirt.

In fact, if she had to choose a way for the town to find out about their re-kindled relationship, she would choose this. It was un-intrusive and innocent and it's not like they hadn't seen them kiss before.

And Lorelai knew that the townies would love nothing more than to see them back together. How many times had Babbette and Miss Patty hinted at that when she was married to Christopher?

They were outside for over twenty minutes, when Lorelai's cell started ringing shrilly in her right hand. Groaning at the suck-y timing, she pulled away from Luke and looked at the screen.

'_Jackson'_ appeared there.

Eyes wide and staring at Luke, she flipped the phone up and held it to her ear. "What is it?" she asked worriedly.

She heard Jackson's tired sigh. "She had a little girl." he said and Lorelai could almost hear the smile in his voice.

"Oh, Jackson, that's fantastic!" she said, smiling softly.

Luke watched her interestedly, while Rory had extracted herself from the party and was standing a few feet away from them.

"I'll let them know right away, Jackson. Okay. Let her know that me and Rory and Luke will be in to see her tomorrow. And that we love her. And the little one. Oh, of course we love you, too, Jackson." she grinned up at Luke. "See you tomorrow. Bye!" she flipped her phone shut and took Luke by the hand, dragging him back into the dining room. She marched past everyone and stopped behind the microphone.

"Hi! Can I have everyone's attention, please?"

The room fell silent as everyone turned to look at her, worried expressions all over the room.

"Okay, I know I don't have the greatest record when I mix alcohol and microphones, but, I promise, with every part of my beautiful self, that this is good." she paused. "All of you know that my best friend and business partner, Sookie St James, is pregnant. Well, I just got a call from her husband - Jackson, Kirk - and he has asked me to ask you to join me in toasting the arrival of a brand new little girl, who, no matter what Sookie and Jackson call her, will _always _be known as 'Dragonfly' by me, because she was born on the night of the Inn's three year anniversary. Okay, so everyone, please raise your glasses, mugs, cups, bottles and whatever else to 'Baby Bellville'."

The crowd cheered as Lorelai stepped away from the mic to where Rory and Luke were standing.

"We're aunts again, we're aunts again!" the two women cheered as they held hands and jumped around in a circle.

When they stopped their bouncing, Lorelai flung her arms around Luke's neck and kissed him passionately. This cause the townies and guests to start cheering again, as their favourite couple finally seemed to have found their middle.

Christopher sat in the corner with Sherry and Gigi, watching as Luke and Lorelai kissed. Thought their divorce had gone through months ago, it wasn't until then that he realised that he had absolutely no chance with Lorelai, she had chosen Luke. And he knew that if he wanted anything to do with his eldest daughter he was just going to have to accept that. She had ignored him once before when she thought he was going to mess up her mother's relationship with the diner owner, and he really didn't want to risk it.

And, it was just like that, that Lorelai and Luke were back. Back for good.

**End _Back For Good_**

**Epilogue to come.**

_Please review. There's still an epilogue, set a couple years later, to come._


	21. Chapter 21

_So, here it is. The epilogue. I was going to wait a while to keep you all in suspence, but I __seriously__ don't trust my computer, so I'm posting it now. Don't go crazy, I just adjusted a couple of things. It's nothing major, but after some reviews concerning names I decided to fiddle a bit... Enjoy!_

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Epilogue

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Lorelai breathed deeply and stretched an arm out across the bed, only to find it empty and cold. She pouted and opened her eyes, sad that the beloved time between total awareness and sleep was shattered. And that her husband wasn't still in bed next to her.

Still pouting, she sat up and swung her feet off the edge of the bed, her socked feet landing with a soft thud on the hardwood floor. She rubbed her eyes and stood up, catching a glimpse of the alarm clock on the bedside table.

9:45.

She honestly couldn't remember the last time she had slept past nine on a Sunday morning.

"Not in the last five years." she mumbled to herself, sliding her glasses on.

She yawned and wandered to the bedroom door and pulled it open, noticing the relative lack of noise coming from the house. Her eyes narrowed. Normally, by this time of the day, the TV would be on and the radio would be playing 80's classics.

She walked to the top of the stairs and still heard no noise. No thumping, no arguing, no cursing, no yelling. Nothing. It was strange.

Shrugging her shoulders, she wandered down the stairs, gazing at the photos on the wall as she passed. There were lots of Rory. Granted, Rory was in her late twenties now, which made Lorelai feel both old and young at the same time. Her baby was all grown up with a career and a house of her own.

She continued down the stairs slowly and finally came to the bottom, where she got the first indication that she wasn't the only one in the house. She could see three cars out in the driveway. And she could hear voices coming from her kitchen.

Smiling, she wandered along the short hall and stopped at the entrance, taking in the scene before her. Her family.

They were sitting around the table, waiting patiently for her to arrive so they could start the breakfast that Luke was cooking up. Lorelai was glad they had finally gotten around to getting a bigger table, because they wouldn't have all fit if the old one was still there. This table had to fit seven people around it weekly. Her mother, Rory, April, Luke and their two kids, Charlie and Kate. And, on the mornings when they could get there, Sookie, Jackson, Davey, Martha and Annie.

"Morning!" Lorelai announced, walking in.

"Ah, sleeping beauty, I presume?" asked Rory dryly amongst the cheery replies of "good morning!"

Lorelai shot her daughter a look as she expertly manoeuvred herself around the table to kiss everyone hello, saving Luke for last as he stood by the stove making pancakes.

She slipped into her seat, playing with Kate's hair as Luke placed a coffee mug down in front of her, and poured her favourite drink into it. He turned back and soon placed a plate stacked with pancakes on the table for everyone to grab at.

They ate happily for a few minutes, when Kate slipped off her seat. "I'll be back in a second." she said, running into the room that used to be Rory's. Seconds later, she re-emerged with a wrapped gift in front of her. "Happy birthday, mommy." she said, handing the gift over.

Lorelai smiled. "Oh, goodie!" she said, quickly ripping the paper off and dropping it on the floor. "Oh, wow. Its beautiful." she whispered.

Kate smiled. "Rory said you'd like it. I helped her find all the pictures. And her and April even let me stick some of them on!" she added proudly.

"It's amazing, thank you." replied Lorelai, pulling her eyes away from the framed collage in front of her. "There has to be, what, 100 pictures on this?" she asked, looking at Rory.

Rory nodded. "150, to be exact. It took Kate, April and me four weeks to get it all together. But there's more." she said, nodding to Kate.

Kate jumped off her seat again. "This one is from Rory and me. I helped her pay for it."

Lorelai smiled and unwrapped the gift. "A signed _Go-Go's_ record?"

Rory nodded. "I promised you I'd get it or you, and here it is. I've been looking ever since I realised I left your original one on the bus."

Lorelai nodded. "Thank you."

"Mommy, here's my present." said Charlie, holding up a small box.

Lorelai took it and opened it carefully. Inside the paper she found a small wooden box.

"Daddy helped me make that," said Charlie, pointing. Lorelai nodded. "Open it, mommy." he added, excitedly.

Lorelai smiled at her son and opened the box carefully. Inside was a beautiful dragonfly brooch. "Oh, Liam, its beautiful." she said softly, kissing her son on the forehead.

Charlie nodded. "Arnie Liz made it, so it's kinda from the both of us."

Lorelai nodded. "Its beautiful." she said again.

Next on the present giving list was April. The teen stood almost nervously and handed her step-mother the present. "Happy birthday, Lorelai."

Lorelai took the gift and opened it, laughing immediately. "Oh, April, how did you know!?"

April shrugged. "I remember last time I was here you said something about your copy not working. And then I remembered my thirteenth birthday and how fun that was, so I thought you would like it."

Lorelai smiled across the table. "Oh, honey, I do. Its amazing." she picked up the DVD (_Pretty In Pink_) and the mini-packs of _Lip Smackers_. "We will definitely be watching this later." she said, waving the DVD around.

April nodded and went back to her breakfast. Emily watched from her seat at the end of the table. She never knew she could be so happy seeing her daughter like this, married to Luke. She had spent so much time and energy trying to keep them apart, that she never really realised that they were perfect for each other. They complimented each other with ease. Their opposites fit perfectly, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The only thing that still got to her, five years later, was the fact that it took Richard's death for her to realise it.

"Happy birthday, Lorelai." she said, handing over an envelope.

Lorelai looked at it quizzically. "Mom, what…?" Emily just shook her head and waited for her to open it. "Oh, mom. No way."

Emily nodded. "It was always intended for you when your father died. By law, that money is yours."

"All of it?" she asked disbelieving.

Emily hesitated. "Well, I might have added some extra after you built on to this place for me."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "We told you it was okay."

Emily shook her head. "Still. Most of it's what your father left for it, I just added a little extra."

Lorelai shook her head with a smile. "Thanks, mom."

Emily nodded and then all eyes turned to Luke. He was the only one who was yet to give Lorelai a present. They both knew that she didn't care if she got anything off him or not, after six years of marriage and two children birthdays between them had become less important.

"I was going to give you this later, but I guess as everyone's handing their presents over now…" he stood up and went to one of the kitchen cabinets. "I hid it here because I knew the kids wouldn't reach it and you would _never_ in a million years go into the particular cupboard, with all the healthy food."

Lorelai smiled and watched keenly as Luke retrieved a box not much bigger than the one Charlie had given her. He placed it in front of her and took his seat. With nimble fingers she slowly opened the lid and peered inside. After a couple of seconds, she laughed lightly.

"Oh, Luke!" she said, pulling out a piece of paper.

_Dear Lorelai._

_For you birthday, I have decided to give you…_

_Five hours of unquestioned house repairs, like every other year I have known you. Use wisely._

_Love always, Luke._

"I thought I didn't have to get the docket anymore!" she said and looked up. He was now holding another present. "More?" she asked.

He nodded silently and handed it over.

"Oh, what is it?" she asked. He simply shook his head and she opened it.

"Luke?" she asked, and he gestured for her to unfold the piece of paper.

It was a horoscope, and under "Aries" she found Luke's handwriting.

"_A beautiful baby will be born today. She will grow into an even more beautiful woman. She will know the importance of a good horoscope. Keep this in a special place and good luck will find her."_ she read out loud.

She looked at Luke. "Honey, that's… wow."

He smiled. "It's not as good as the original horoscope."

Lorelai shook her head. "No. its better." she said and leant over and kissed her husband. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

**The End**

_Like it? Loath it? Please, let me know! _

_That's the end. The finale! I hope you liked it and I'll start posting again soon. My next couple of stories will link with this one, so you'll get it. Please, review and continue to read the wonderful fanfic written here._


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